Mali withdraws from anti-terrorism G5-Sahel

Mali announced on Sunday evening its withdrawal from the G5 Sahel and its anti-terrorism military force to protest for having been denied the presidency of this regional organization formed with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger.

“The government of Mali decides to withdraw from all organs and bodies of the G5 Sahel, including the Joint anti-jihadist force,”, Bamako said in a press release.

A conference of G5 Sahel heads of state scheduled for February 2022 in Bamako was to “consecrate the beginning of the Malian presidency of the G5” but “nearly a quarter after the indicated term” this meeting “still hasn’t been held,” underlined the press release.

Bamako “firmly rejects the argument of a member state of the G5-Sahel which advances the national internal political situation to oppose the exercise by Mali of the presidency of the G5-Sahel,” the press release said, without naming the state.

France is also criticized without being named: “Opposition to Mali’s presidency is linked to the maneuvers of an extra-regional state desperately seeking to isolate Mali,” stated the transitional government. Relations between Mali and European countries, starting with France, have deteriorated significantly in recent months.

Since January 9, Mali has been targeted by a series of economic and diplomatic measures by the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, sanctioning the transitional authorities’ intention to remain in power for several more years, after two putsches in August 2020 and then in May 2021.

The transitional authorities have opted for a two-year transition while ECOWAS is asking Bamako to organize elections in 16 months maximum. The G5-Sahel was created in 2014 and its anti-jihadist force launched in 2017.