France’s President Francois Hollande arrived in Mali on Saturday as French-led troops worked to secure the last Islamist stronghold in the north after a lightning offensive against the extremists.
Hollande, whose surprise decision to intervene in Mali three weeks ago has won broad support at home, was to thank French troops who have pushed back the radicals from the north of Paris’s former colony and to push for their speedy replacement by African forces.
“I am going to Mali to express to our soldiers all our support, encouragement and pride,” he said a day before his visit.
“I’m also going to ensure that African forces come and join us as quickly as possible and to tell them we need them for this international force.”
Mali’s interim president Dioncounda Traore met Hollande as he flew in to the central town of Savare accompanied by his foreign, defence and development ministers.
The two men were to hold a working lunch later in the day in the capital Bamako and Hollande was also due to visit troops in the fabled desert city of Timbuktu.
The Malian people have begun referring to Hollande as ‘Uncle François’, because to them he is now part of their big family.
France is keen to hand over its military operation to nearly 8,000 African troops slowly being deployed in the country, which the United Nations is considering turning into a formal UN peacekeeping operation.
France24
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