West Africa's security woes no longer France's concern, says minister
Thani Mohamed-Soilihi was speaking to journalists in a phone briefing in South Africa, where he was attending the Group of 20 (G20) top economies' week of discussions on global development.
"I'm sorry to say, but it no longer concerns us," Mohamed-Soilihi said, in answer to a Reuters question about the risk of insecurity posed by France's military absence.
"That's a shame, because everyone can see the difference between [now and then]," he added. "But we are looking for other ways to maintain ties [that are] not necessarily military."
In the past three years, France has gradually dismantled its once-substantial military presence in its African ex-colonies, where for decades it had beaten back jihadist militants, arrested armed criminals, rescued several presidents from armed rebellions — and, in earlier times, backed coups itself.
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