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| France to Shift Mali Troops to Battle Regional Terrorism | France to Shift Mali Troops to Battle Regional Terrorism |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| BAMAKO, Mali — France said Sunday that it was reorganizing its forces in Mali and surrounding countries into a single regional body focused on battling terrorists in northwestern Africa. | |
| The announcement came just days before the start of peace talks to end Mali’s separatist rebellions. | The announcement came just days before the start of peace talks to end Mali’s separatist rebellions. |
| “It’s a regional operation to ensure the security of the area and prevent jihadist groups from emerging again,” the French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said on Europe 1 radio. France has 1,700 troops in Mali, but under the new plan about 3,000 French soldiers, based in Mali, Chad and Niger, will become part of a regional counterterrorism operation. | “It’s a regional operation to ensure the security of the area and prevent jihadist groups from emerging again,” the French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said on Europe 1 radio. France has 1,700 troops in Mali, but under the new plan about 3,000 French soldiers, based in Mali, Chad and Niger, will become part of a regional counterterrorism operation. |
| France sent troops last year to Mali, a former colony, to halt advances by Islamist militants. The militants had hijacked an uprising by Tuareg separatists and occupied much of northern Mali in 2012 before being driven back by French troops. | France sent troops last year to Mali, a former colony, to halt advances by Islamist militants. The militants had hijacked an uprising by Tuareg separatists and occupied much of northern Mali in 2012 before being driven back by French troops. |
| The fighters scattered across the Sahara’s mountains and sand dunes but have carried out a string of attacks on both United Nations and Malian forces. | The fighters scattered across the Sahara’s mountains and sand dunes but have carried out a string of attacks on both United Nations and Malian forces. |
| The United Nations has a peacekeeping force in Mali, which operates separately from French troops. | The United Nations has a peacekeeping force in Mali, which operates separately from French troops. |
| The peace talks between Malian government officials and Tuareg rebels are scheduled to begin in Algeria on Wednesday. | The peace talks between Malian government officials and Tuareg rebels are scheduled to begin in Algeria on Wednesday. |
| France, Mali’s neighbor Algeria and the West African regional bloc Ecowas are pushing the two sides to end decades of Tuareg uprisings. | France, Mali’s neighbor Algeria and the West African regional bloc Ecowas are pushing the two sides to end decades of Tuareg uprisings. |
| The 2012 Tuareg uprising led to a military coup in the capital, Bamako, and the occupation of the northern half of the country by Islamist militants who had allied with the separatist rebels. | The 2012 Tuareg uprising led to a military coup in the capital, Bamako, and the occupation of the northern half of the country by Islamist militants who had allied with the separatist rebels. |
| Mali’s separatist movements are demanding greater autonomy for northern Mali, which they call Azawad. | Mali’s separatist movements are demanding greater autonomy for northern Mali, which they call Azawad. |