Description
Added on the 10/01/2020 18:26:02 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
Bamako (Mali), Jan 20 (EFE/EPA), (Camera: Hadama Diakite).- Dozens of protesters were dispersed by police with tear gas in Bamako during the protest against the French military presence in Mali. The country fell under French colonial rule in 1892 until its independence in 1960. France subsequently intervened in Mali in 2013 to fight the advance of jihadist forces and now has approximately 5,100 soldiers deployed throughout the Sahel. FOOTAGE OF THE PROTEST IN BAMAKO
French officers hand over the keys to a military base in the Malian city of Timbuktu, after a nearly nine-year deployment. The French flag was lowered and the Malian flag raised in its place on the base, where a force of about 150 soldiers have remained after Paris began withdrawing troops in 2013. IMAGES
In the barracks of the 1st regiment of parachute hussars of Tarbes, France's minister for the armed forces, Florence Parly, presides over a national tribute to the two French soldiers who were killed Saturday in Mali. IMAGES
Malians line the streets around Bamako's Independence Square to cheer on the military, as unrest sweeps through the capital. Witnesses earlier reported hearing gunfire at a key military base near the capital, sparking fears of a mutiny. Mali has been gripped for months by political crisis, as a protest movement galvanised by a disputed election insists that President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resign. IMAGES
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says France's military action in Mali is "essential", even if it is "not the sole dimension" of the fight against jihadists. The Prime Minister answers a question in the National Assembly after the death of 13 French soldiers in a two-helicopter crash. IMAGES
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).