France has had a strong military presence in Mali since 2014 in an effort to counter Islamic extremism in the greater Sahel region. Despite the efforts of the French military, the jihadist groups did not weaken, trapping France in an irreversible and steady state.
France ‘s interests in the region
However, France’s interest in the region forces it to have a strong presence in the region due to the region’s large uranium reserves, which are the main raw material for the production of electricity from its nuclear power plants.
France has 56 nuclear reactors that produce 78% of the country’s electricity. France, through its President Emmanuel Macron, rightly considers nuclear energy to be green energy and absolutely useful in achieving the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore reasonable for France to be interested in the region of Mali in order to ensure the uranium supply of its nuclear industry.
Abductions in Mali, mainly for money, are a constant phenomenon as chaos and instability prevail, especially after the May 2021 coup.
Al Qaeda and ISIS control large areas of the country, and the French armed forces operate in the country without cooperating with the new coup.
EU and the Sahel Zone
For the EU, the Sahel zone is a strategic priority in its foreign policy. EU foreign ministers have been holding exhaustive meetings on the issue, deciding to work closely with the G5-Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) to address security concerns in the region.
The change of scenery after the coup
The May military coup in Mali changed the data for France and the EU. The coup leaders do not want to cooperate exclusively with France and have asked Russia to cooperate, giving Russia the right to gain a presence in the region.
France believes the deployment of Russian mercenaries in the region will undermine its own operations in the Sahel zone against Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The impasse of France
Today, France seems trapped in Mali, in a situation similar to the US presence in Afghanistan until the day of their departure. If France decides to leave the region unilaterally, it will also bear the main responsibility for any deterioration of the situation, which will affect all the states in the region.
By 2023, the French military forces in the area are expected to be reduced to 2500 – 3000 from the current 5,000.
For these reasons, France calls for the strengthening of the military presence of other EU member states, so that the problem now becomes a problem of the EU and not exclusively a problem of France as it is today.
Reasons that dictate the indefinite presence of France in the region
1. North and West Africa remain areas where France still maintains privileged relations with local governments, an element that France definitely wants to maintain.
2. France is deeply concerned about China’s penetration of Africa, especially Mali and other neighboring countries.
Africa is rich in oil, copper, cobalt, and iron ore, essential raw materials for China’s economy. The population of Africa is young and ready to eat if their income increases, so Africa has a great consumption potential for Chinese products. Chinese construction companies have undertaken infrastructure and housing projects. These figures increase China’s geopolitical influence in Africa as long as China manages to fully penetrate the African continent.
3. The next French presidential election will be held in April 2022 and of course Emmanuel Macron does not want to withdraw from the African military until then, which would create political complications in his re-election.
