Less than a year after sending hundreds of extra troops to the Sahel, France is hoping to cut back its military presence in the restive region to make room for a stronger European commitment, army sources said.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly visited Mali in quick succession in the last weeks to help the government assess the French presence in the Sahel, the sub-Saharan region where thousands of troops have been stationed since 2014 as part of the militants-fighting Barkhane force.
"We are getting close to the end of the year, a natural point to assess our progress," Parly said during her visit, AFP reported.
Frensh President Emmanuel Macron said during the summer that France would restructure Barkhane by the end of the year.
According to multiple military sources who spoke to AFP and asked not to be named, France would like to withdraw several hundred troops from its current 5,100-strong contingent.
This would take it back to levels deployed before a surge in activity in January when rising numbers of jihadist attacks prompted a boost in the French troop presence.
Barkhane has scored some major victories in cooperation with its local partners, notably against the ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group in the border region between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
ISGS is now "singularly weakened", Barkhane commander General Marc Conruyt said, "although we have to remain vigilant".
Experts said one major vulnerability exploited by militants is the inability of many central governments in the region to secure and supply far-flung territories after a military victory.
Often they cannot provide protection, education and basic services, leaving local populations to fend for themselves, including against any extremists resurgence.
