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France has withdrawn its final troops from Mali

Its nine-year campaign became a bloody mess

IN JANUARY 2013 French forces swooped into Mali to halt columns of northern separatists and jihadists that were threatening Bamako, the capital. At first their intervention, at the request of Mali’s government, was a stunning success. Within weeks northern cities, such as Gao and Timbuktu, were liberated. But what was meant to be a brief operation turned into a grinding struggle. This week, after nine and a half years, the last remaining French soldiers were flown out of their country’s former colony. They leave behind a country that is increasingly overwhelmed by the insurgency. The fight against the jihadists—who are loosely affiliated to al-Qaeda and Islamic State—has only become more bloody (see map). And the terrorists, once confined, have spread across vast swathes of the Sahel.

After its initial intervention, France had planned to train local armies to defeat the jihadists. But regional forces did not prove strong enough for Western forces to step back. Instead in early 2020 France again increased the number of its troops in the region from 4,500 to 5,100. Around 15,000 UN blue helmets also patrol in Mali. Other European countries were roped into the conflict, some of which sent trainers and commandos. In Mali and Burkina Faso, meanwhile, Western-trained local soldiers booted out elected governments in coups. Since they took over, the bloodshed has only worsened. The jihadist groups, which take advantage of local anger at massacres by national armies, have only grown stronger.

The political mess hastened the French exit. To add insult to injury, Mali’s junta brought in Russian mercenaries from Wagner Group and expelled the French ambassador. By February this year Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, had had enough. He announced the withdrawal of all troops from Mali. Some 1,000 soldiers will now be based in Niger. UN peacekeepers in Mali, more exposed than ever, will struggle on.

The prospects for the region are grim. The Sahel is now the world’s terrorism hotspot, accounting for more than a third of all terrorism deaths in 2021. All told in Mali, nearly 2,700 civilians, soldiers and terrorists were killed in the first half of this year, 40% more than in all of 2021. The violence is driving people from their homes (see chart).

Even France’s initial accomplishment may be under threat. Last month jihadists struck Mali’s main military camp, just 15km from Bamako. As in 2013, the capital is on edge. Should the jihadists attack, this time who might come to its aid is far from clear.

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