France will pull out up to half its 5,000 troops from Sahel -Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a joint press conference with Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum following a video summit with leaders of G5 Sahel countries, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, France July 9, 2021. Stephane de Sakutin/Pool via REUTERS

France will be left with between 2,500 and 3,000 soldiers in West Africa's Sahel region once it has completed a troop drawdown, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.

Macron, who gave no time frame for completing the troop reduction, was speaking after a virtual summit with Sahel region leaders.

France currently has a little over 5,000 soldiers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel.

(Reporting by Tangi Salaun; Editing by Richard Lough and Mark Heinrich)