France to withdraw troops from Mali but remain in West Africa

French troops board a US Air Force C130 transport plane in Gao, Mali (Jerome Delay/AP)

President Emmanuel Macron has said France will withdraw its troops from Mali but maintain a military presence in neighbouring West African nations.

Announcing the move during a news conference in Paris on Thursday, Mr Macron said “We cannot remain militarily involved” alongside Malian transitional authorities with whom “we don’t share the strategy and goals”.