The Sahel - Q&A - (01 Feb. 2022)

Q: Regarding the military junta regimes, today marks the second year that Mali has had a shape-shifting junta in power and several weeks that Burkina Faso has had a junta in power as well. France has engaged in combat against troops in both of these countries. When France begins a military engagement in a country that is turning into a dictatorship, on what grounds should it do so? What did we learn from Operation Sangaris in the CAR, where democracy was not able to take root?

A: As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian has stated on several occasions, France, together with its European, African and international partners, is in the Sahel to wage a joint war on terrorism and to support the local population.