France’s Withdrawal from Mali: Brief Global and Historical Ramifications

Image: Malian people protesting the presence of French and UN troops prior to their recent withdrawal

Author: Lucas Lu

A Brief History

The region known to the world today as Mali first became entangled with France in 1892, when the Wassoulou empire was conquered by the French. Mali’s historical cultural ties with France can be traced to its period under French Colonial Rule, which lasted from 1892 to Mali’s independence in 1960. When Mali was terrorized by the extreme Jihadist group in 2013, French officials decided to deployed troops along with 1,500 U.N. peacekeeping troops to combat terrorism in the area. The French decided to maintain its presence in Mali, even though it had successfully routed some extremists from the cities, turning their venture into a mission called Operation Serval, that has lasted for over nine years. 

A Global Parallel

Many analysts have argued that the reason behind France’s withdrawal from Mali in the last week is similar to that of American troops from Afghanistan over the summer of 2021. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has stated that it was no longer in the best interest of France to spend billions of dollars in a foreign occupation that he believed would never end. President Macron also pointed out that the French government will not remain militarily active with de facto authorities, and also expressed frustrations in speeches towards the Mali Leaders who came into power through two successful coups. His denouncement angered the Mali military leaders, who retaliated by giving the French ambassador 72 hours to leave the Malian soil, signaling an end to the two nation’s fracturing diplomatic relationship.

Looking Ahead

While historically the influence of France over Mali has contributed to the nation being pro-western states, the United States has suspended military relations following the Coup in 2012. Nonetheless, Mali continued to have diplomatic relations with the United States and most western countries, who have historically helped the nation combat extremist groups. Within the last 20 months, two successive coups were staged, bringing into power members of the Malian military who have used more anti-French and anti-western rhetoric and policies. With tensions growing between Mali and France, it is likely that the extremist groups will gain further traction within the nation, and that the Malian government will seek to strengthen its ties to non-western countries as it distances itself from those too closely allied to France. The withdrawal of French forces marks both the decline of their historical colonial empire influence- with the pro-western power it has carried for decades- and the strengthening of the less western-influenced, more militant Malian government.

Note: This article was edited and updated by Anna Maloney.