France has started withdrawing its troops from Mali: what is it leaving behind?

By Mady Ibrahim Kanté, Lecturer, Université des sciences juridiques et politiques de Bamako

France has begun withdrawing its troops from northern Mali as part of plans to reorganise its anti-insurgent forces deployed in the Sahel region under Operation Barkhane. French army bases in Kidal, Tessalit and Timbuktu will be closed by the end of the year and handed over to the Malian army. Air support will be maintained. But the current contingent of 5,100 French troops will be reduced to roughly 3,000. Adejuwon Soyinka asked Mady Ibrahim…

Read complete article

More

~ In Knife, his memoir of surviving attack, Salman Rushdie confronts a world where liberal principles like free speech are old-fashioned

~ It never rains but it pours: intense rain and flash floods have increased inland in eastern Australia

~ ‘It could be the death of the museum’: why research cuts at a South Australian institution have scientists up in arms

~ Rugby stadiums are sold as an economic asset – but NZ needs to ask if they’re really worth it

~ The ‘devil comet’ 12P/Pons-Brooks has finally become visible from Australia. What can we expect?

~ Some families push back against journalists who mine social media for photos – they have every right to

~ I wholeheartedly recommend The President: a brilliant revival of a play of decay, terror and revulsion

~ Many prisoners go years without touching a smartphone. It means they struggle to navigate life on the outside

~ Good news: midlife health is about more than a waist measurement. Here’s why

~ Are 2 mid-career AFL retirements a sign Australian athletes are taking brain health more seriously?

Complete list

Follow us on ...

~	In Knife, his memoir of surviving attack, Salman Rushdie confronts a world where liberal principles like free speech are old-fashioned

~	It never rains but it pours: intense rain and flash floods have increased inland in eastern Australia

~	‘It could be the death of the museum’: why research cuts at a South Australian institution have scientists up in arms

~	Rugby stadiums are sold as an economic asset – but NZ needs to ask if they’re really worth it

~	The ‘devil comet’ 12P/Pons-Brooks has finally become visible from Australia. What can we expect?

~	Some families push back against journalists who mine social media for photos – they have every right to

~	I wholeheartedly recommend The President: a brilliant revival of a play of decay, terror and revulsion

~	Many prisoners go years without touching a smartphone. It means they struggle to navigate life on the outside

~	Good news: midlife health is about more than a waist measurement. Here’s why

~	Are 2 mid-career AFL retirements a sign Australian athletes are taking brain health more seriously?