France’s Macron threatens to pull troops out of Mali

French president says Paris will withdraw soldiers if Mali lurches towards what he called “radical Islamism” after second coup in a year.

President Emmanuel Macron warned in comments published on Sunday that France will pull its troops out of Mali if it lurches towards what he called “radical Islamism” following the second coup in nine months. France has about 5,100 troops in the region under its so-called Operation Barkhane which spans five countries in the Sahel – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The mission, with its headquarters in Chad, was launched after France under former President François Hollande intervened in Mali in 2013 to help drive back fighters who had overrun parts of the West African country.