France says it will decide on a future military presence in Mali by mid-February along with its EU partners. This comes after the ruling junta expelled the French ambassador to Mali, Joel Meyer on Monday. France has about 4 000 troops deployed across the Sahel region, with half of them stationed in Mali. French officials now want to rely on a European force known as Takuba, to take the pressure off its military as tensions continue to rise in the African country. Dr Emmanuel Matambo from the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Africa-China Studies weighs in.

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