Debate: Withdrawal of French and European Forces from Mali: A New Situation in West Africa? (ifri.org)

• Announcement of withdrawal of French and European forces from Mali after nine years.
• Ifri analyst Thierry Vircoulon warns of major regional security restructuring.
• Vacuum may be filled by Wagner mercenaries or jihadist groups, threatening spillover.

"The article discusses the announced military withdrawal of France and its European partners from Mali after nine years of counter-terrorism. Thierry Vircoulon of Ifri analyzes that this withdrawal, announced on the sidelines of the 6th EU-AU Summit in Brussels, will lead to major restructuring in the regional security architecture. Growing anti-French sentiment and France's role as a framework nation for its European allies in the Sahel have created a vacuum. This vacuum could be filled by other actors such as Russian Wagner mercenaries or jihadist groups advancing in the Gulf of Guinea."