re posted from SPUTNIK AFRICA
Malians in 2013: ‘We Thought France Had Come to Free Us from Terrorism, but We Were Quickly Disillusioned,’ Malian Lawmaker Says
21 November 2025
In 2013, at the start of Operation Serval, Malians had turned out in massive numbers in the streets “to applaud France,” which they believed had come to liberate them from the terrorists, Fousseynou Ouattara, Vice-President of Mali’s National Transitional Council, recalled, speaking to Sputnik Africa.
The disappointment, however, was profound: when the Malian army sought to regain control of the entire national territory, particularly in Kidal, French forces opposed the move and blocked it, he continued. They also refused to properly rearm the Malian army.
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