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On Tuesday, a French foreign ministry spokesman said that Mali's decision to quit the military cooperation agreement with the country would not affect the military withdrawal.
On Tuesday, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman announced that Mali's government's decision to refuse to agree on military cooperation with the country after it fell out with the ruling junta was "unjustified" would not affect the military extraction of French troops.
According to the French spokesperson, Paris "considers that this decision is unjustified and absolutely contests any violation of the bilateral legal framework." On Monday, Bamako announced that it would withdraw from the 2014 accords, alleging "flagrant violations" of its sovereignty by French troops.
After the rising tensions with the military-controlled government and two coups in the country, France started to remove the military from its Barkhane force from Mali. "France will continue the withdrawal in good order of its military presence in Mali, in line with its commitments to its partners," added the spokesperson.
The tension emerged between the countries as diplomats have said that the UN Security Council held a closed-door session on Mali on Tuesday at Russia's request. Mali's government has passed some complaints to the international organization on reportedly violations of its airspace by French forces.
#Mali pulls out of #military pacts with #France https://t.co/sIDC1vwF55
— Nigerian Canadian Newspaper Canada (@NigerianCanadi4) May 4, 2022
In 2014, the French-Malian defense accords were signed following the Paris intervention to stop a jihadist offensive. The relationship between the countries has got cold. After the first military coup in 2020, the junta resisted international pressure to set a timetable for a swift return to democratic, civilian rule.
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