France confirms withdrawal of troops from Mali - as widely expected

France is withdrawing all its troops from Mali, where for years they have been helping combat a spreading insurgency.

A statement from Elysee Palace, the presidency, confirmed the move which was widely expected given recent bad blood between Bamako and Paris.

The announcement came ahead of an EU-Africa summit in Brussels. The action is said to be a coordinated withdrawal together with

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France will, however, continue to participate in anti-terrorism operations in the wider Sahel region

The allies say they want to extend the geographical scope of their support, including to the countries of the Gulf of Guinea, a BBC report noted.