French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Mali’s military authorities of abandoning their responsibilities.
In a radio interview, he said it was not the role of the French army to fill in for what he described as the “non-work” of the Malian state.
He said if it wasn’t for the French troops, jihadist forces would have taken over the whole country.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since last year’s military coup in Mali.
France plans to scale back its 5,000-strong force in the Sahel, where they have been fighting multiple Islamist groups.
