Amid reports of continued skirmishes with Islamist extremists driven out of the main settlements of northern Mali, France renewed a promise on Wednesday that its soldiers would begin returning home within weeks, handing over to West African and Malian units charged with keeping the vast desert area under government control, reports The New York Times.
But French officials acknowledged that, despite their claimed military successes so far, new hostilities had erupted on Tuesday near the northern town of Gao between what were depicted as remnants of the insurgents and French and Malian forces, possibly foreshadowing a new phase in the conflict.
“From the moment our forces, supported by Malian forces, began missions and patrols around the towns which we have taken, we have encountered residual jihadist groups which fight,” Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a radio interview. He called the conflict a “real war.”
"We will seek them out,” he said, pledging to bring security to the recaptured areas. “Yesterday there was some rocket fire from residual jihadist groups in the Gao region” of northern Mali, he said, without going into detail.
In an interview published in the Metro newspaper, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that, starting in March, “the number of French troops should fall.”
“France has no intention of remaining in Mali,” he said. “It is the Africans and the Malians themselves to guarantee the security, the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the country.”
The Defense Minister, Mr. Le Drian, said the French deployment for its lightning offensive launched last month had now reached 4,000 soldiers “and we won’t go beyond that.”
The deployment is already far higher than the 2,500 soldiers France initially projected and has been boosted by the arrival during the weekend of 500 more troops.
But the French officials seem anxious to persuade their citizens that the country’s armed forces are not being pulled inexorably into a perilous long-term commitment risking higher casualties.
“The progressive transfer from the French military presence to the African military presence can be made relatively quickly,” Mr. Le Drian said. “In several weeks, we will be able to begin to reduce our deployment.”
France intervened after Islamist forces who had controlled northern Mali for months began a sudden drive to the south almost a month ago. After halting the rebel advance with airstrikes, France sent in ground troops who advanced along with Malian units meeting little apparent resistance as the insurgents seemed to melt back into their hide-outs in the rugged northeast of the country.
But the latest reports of skirmishes near Gao seemed to suggest that the insurgents have not completely withdrawn.
Read more of this report from The New York Times.