The Elysee Palace has announced an end to France’s anti-militant operation in Africa’s Sahel region, but has left in its wake incidents of rights abuses committed by the French military yet to be prosecuted.
A statement signed by France and its African and European allies said that "multiple obstructions" by the ruling junta meant that the conditions were no longer in place to operate in Mali.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the country's counter-terrorism operation in West Africa would come to an end and be incorporated into a broader international mission.
Deby, a close Western ally, was killed in battle with rebels on Monday, raising concern in the US and France that turmoil and uncertainty following his death will hamper the fight against militants across the Sahel region.
Local officials say France's Operation Barkhane killed six civilians who had gone to hunt birds and rabbits in remote Gao region, but French forces claim they targeted militants.
The victim's bodies were brought back from Mopti region to the airport in Sevare, near the town of Mopti, by a helicopter from the UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping force, while the injured were taken to hospital, local officials said.
France and five Sahel region nations agree to combine forces against militants in volatile region, leaders say after a summit in Pau, southwest France, with President Macron pledging 220 more troops to reinforce Barkhane operation.
A French-drafted resolution was adopted which will lead to the deployment of a 5,000-strong African force in the Sahel region to fight militants.
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