France to begin Mali military exit

France and its allies fighting Islamist militants in Mali said on Thursday (February 17) they would begin their military withdrawal from the country.

French President Emmanuel Macron insisted the pullback did not constitute a failure of its nine-year mission.

"France intervened in Mali, first, to fight terrorism, and secondly, through the request of a sovereign state and states in the region. It's this second condition that changes today. The victory over terrorism is not possible if it is not promoted by the state itself. Why are we deciding to leave today? Because the junta in power in Mali does not have this as a priority anymore."

The move has raised concerns of an emboldened insurgency across the Sahel region.

But Macron said neighboring Niger had agreed to house European forces fighting Islamists.

He added that the withdrawal from Mali would take four to six months.

France has had troops in Mali since 2013, when it intervened to drive back Islamist militants advancing on the capital.

The Islamists have since regrouped and are waging an increasingly bloody insurgency across the region.

Relations between Paris and Bamako have deteriorated since the ruling military junta went back on an agreement to organize an election in February and proposed holding power until 2025.

It has also deployed Russian private military contractors, which some European countries have said is incompatible with their mission.

A key question still to be answered will be the futures of 14,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping and EU missions.

Their fates are in doubt given French forces provide support.

EU Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc would reach out to Bamako to discuss the future of its training missions.

"The answer will come in the next days."

Successive coups in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso - all ex-French colonies - have weakened France's West African alliances.

Diplomats warn that spiralling violence could give fresh impetus to migration from West Africa to Europe.