Undeterred by Mali junta, France opens door for more support to coastal West African states

France will not be cowed by the junta in Mali to stop its counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region and will also focus on supporting Gulf of Guinea nations to prevent militants crossing into their territories, its foreign minister said. Mali on Monday said it was expelling France's envoy after "hostile and outrageous" comments by the former colonial power about its transitional government.

France will not be cowed by the junta in Mali to stop its counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region and will also focus on supporting Gulf of Guinea nations to prevent militants crossing into their territories, its foreign minister said.

Mali on Monday said it was expelling France's envoy after "hostile and outrageous" comments by the former colonial power about its transitional government. "Our will remains intact and it is not an irresponsible event, which ... is down to the illegitimacy of a coup d'etat government that will stop us fighting terrorism," Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers on Tuesday.

"It will continue with the agreement of regional countries and will also carry on by supporting Gulf of Guinea countries which today are seeing the porosity of their borders enabling terrorist groups to enter in the north of these territories." The French ambassador's expulsion was the latest escalation between the two countries since the junta went back on an agreement to organise elections in February and proposed holding power until 2025.

It has also deployed Russian private military contractors, which some European countries have said is incompatible with their mission. The European Union has agreed to impose travel bans and asset freezes on five members of the junta, three diplomats said.

On Friday, European allies also agreed to draw up plans within two weeks on how to continue their fight against Islamist militants in Mali after Danish troops were ordered to leave, raising questions about the future of France's strategy in the region. Analysts and diplomats have said France may seek to increase support for coastal West African countries, where militants could threaten international mining operations and stability in strategic nations like Ivory Coast and Ghana.

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