The military junta in Mali has ordered France to withdraw its troops from the country “without delay”.
An army spokesman, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, said France had violated military accords between Paris and Bamako when it announced on Thursday it would redeploy its forces to Niger.
President Emmanuel Macron said the withdrawal would take four to six months, but Mali said that it should happen immediately, under the supervision of their forces.
Relations between France and Mali – a former French colony – deteriorated after the military junta in Bamako reneged on an agreement to hold elections this month.
About 5,000 French soldiers have been in Mali engaged in a multi-nation counter-insurgency operation against Islamist militants.
Source: bbc.com