‘France has no right to impose its solutions in Mali,’ says Imam Mahmoud Dicko

Now that Mali’s former transitional president Bah N’Daw – who was firmly opposed to holding any talks with jihadists and was overthrown by the current President, Assimi Goïta, on 24 May – is no longer in the picture, the authorities may be more open to dialogue.

This change in stance prompted France to announce a “profound transformation” of its military presence in the Sahel. “We will not remain passive. We can not conduct joint operations with powers that decide to hold talks with groups that, at the same time, shoot our children,” France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on 10 June. According to Dicko, France’s “radical” tone is counterproductive because it “encourages radicalism”. He advocates for a grassroots resolution to the Sahel crisis, has welcomed the announcement of the France-backed Operation Barkhane anti-terrorism mission’s gradual departure and severely condemns France’s