‘Since France’s departure from Mali, terrorists have retreated,’ says Nouhoum Sarr
By
Manon Laplace
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April 22, 2023 13:00
This handout photograph taken on August 11, 2022 and released by the Etat Major des Armees (The french Defence Staff) shows soldiers of the French military mission in the Sahel known as “Barkhane” folding a French flag at an undisclosed military installation, amid the French military drawdown with troops leaving the last bases in Mali. – France’s military pullout from Mali is nearing completion, with around 2,500 Barkhane anti-jihadist forces remaining in the Sahel, just under half of the deployment at its peak, say French officers. (Photo by Handout / Etat Major des Armées / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / ETAT MAJOR DES ARMEES ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / ETAT MAJOR DES ARMEES ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS /
With the departure of French operatoin Barkhane from Mali, the presence of Wagner’s mercenaries, and the organisation of elections, Nouhoum Sarr, a member of the Transitional Committee (Conseil National de Transition, CNT), is a fervent supporter of the Assimi Goïta-led junta.
Nouhoum Sarr first worked alongside Soumaïla Cissé, when the latter was seeking the presidency with his party, the Union pour la République et la Démocratie (URD), then served as a representative of the 5 June protest movement’s youth, the M5-RFP, which precipitated the fall of the Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta regime in 2020.
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