Macron announces Sahel troop drawdown, calls for new force

Paris (AFP) June 10, 2021

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced a major drawdown of France's military presence in the Sahel where forces have been battling jihadist insurgents for nearly a decade. At a news conference, Macron said the existing Barkhane operation would end, with France's presence becoming part of the so-called Takuba international task force in which "hundreds" of French soldiers would form