In his statement to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Jean Castex defended the results of the French presence in the Sahel and provided after-sales service for President Emmanuel Macron’s policy, and received support and criticism.
Faced with a sparse assistance, Jean Castex denounced the attitude of the “ de facto authorities from Bamako and the arrival of Wagner which made the French departure inevitable. ” This situation is the result of international competition marked by strategies of direct or indirect confrontation in all physical and immaterial fields and I am thinking in particular of the crucial field of information. »
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On this point, he received the support of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The only presidential candidate to speak, he had chosen to mainly address Malians: “ Here we are brought back to the putschist soldiers, to the bandits, to the thugs, to those who despise the people and who, in addition, think they are insulting us and that in one way or another we can feel guilty. We are not. »
The majority parties obviously support the announced reorganization.
On the right, the Republicans broadly share the need to remain present in the Sahel, as do the Socialists, who are nevertheless worried about unfavorable local opinions.
Among the critical voices, the independent deputy Frédérique Dumas deplored that the authorities did not “ nothing wanted to hear of the root causes of jihadism since 2014: did the military do their duty? The answer is yes. For some, they paid with their lives. Have the political leaders done their duty? The answer is no. »
Another former macronist who went to the opposition, Sébastien Nadot pointed to a ” slap received » from a « proud people “. Communist Jean-Paul Lecoq denounced a “ failure from day one “, who ” calls for reflection and humility “.
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