Hundreds of people in Mali on Friday protested against the presence of foreign troops in their country , just days ahead of a summit meant to “ clarify ” France ’ s military role in the region.

Malian and foreign soldiers have been struggling to contain a jihadist revolt that erupted in the West African country in 2012 and has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives since .

Fighting has also spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger .

The failure to quell the violence has fed scepticism about the role of former colonial power France , which has some 4 , 500 troops deployed across the Sahel under Operation Barkhane.

Hundreds of people gathered in a square in the centre of the capital Bamako, where they burned the French tricolour , an AFP journalist reported.

Protesters carried banners reading slogans such as “ Down with France , Barkhane must leave ” or “ France is a brake on our development ” .

French President Emmanuel Macron has responded to the tensions by inviting the leaders of Sahel states Mauritania , Mali, Burkina Faso , Niger and Chad to a summit in France on January 13.

He said last month that the idea is to “ define more clearly our military , political and development objectives ” .

Despite antipathy in some quarters towards foreign troops , Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita urged people not to “ mistake the enemy ” in a speech to ministers this week .

“ The foreign forces present in our country are our allies in this tragic war which was imposed on us , ” Keita ’ s spokesperson reported the president as saying .
But MPs from Keita ’ s own party were present at the protest in Bamako on Friday, an AFP journalist said .

There are hopes that the summit, which takes place in the southern French city of Pau , will soothe nerves.

Keita said last month that the meeting would be “ decisive ” because it would allow “ all the questions, all the grievances, all the solutions ” to be put on the table.
Macron’ s invitation initially angered some Sahel leaders , who perceived it as a presumptious summons .

AFP

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