A speech by French President Emmanuel Macron that claimed that some leaders shown “ingratitude” for the deployment of his country’s troops in the Sahel region to combat Islamist extremism has drawn criticism from African states.
At a conference in Paris on Monday, Macron informed French diplomats that the deployment of French military was the only reason Sahel countries, which are plagued by violent extremism and civil wars, remained independent.
As Paris’ influence on its old colonies waned, Macron also rejected the idea that French forces had been driven out of the Sahel, a territory located just below the Sahara Desert.
We shared a relationship of security. It was divided into two parts. The first was our pledge to combat terrorism since 2013. Someone must have forgotten to express gratitude. Yes, it does
