 After a nine-year-long occupation, French troops have completed their withdrawal from Mali. Mass demonstrations calling for removal of French troops from Mali have been recurring, especially since 2020, often mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people. In February this year, when French President Emmanuel Macron announced that French forces would withdraw in the next four to six months, celebrations broke out across the country. On February 19, slogans rang across the Independence Square of Mali's capital, Bamako, saying down with France, down with imperialism. For nearly a decade, France had been leading counter-insurgency operations in Mali. Its troops entered the country in 2013 under Operation Serval to clear Islamist armed groups whose presence had been growing in Mali. France threw its weight behind the Tuareg separatist movement called the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, hoping to countervail Al-Qaeda in Maghreb. But the Tuareg movement soon joined hands with Al-Qaeda. The troops stayed on as the mission evolved in 2014 into Operation Barkhane. This mission had an expanded mandate to build up the Malian army and stabilize the region. Troops from Canada and 14 European countries were also enlisted over the years. Under Operation Barkhane, France had over 5,000 troops stationed in the country. Throughout this period under French leadership, incidents of violence only increased from 115 events in 2014 to 1,007 in 2021. Violence also spread to neighboring countries of the Sahel region. French forces in Mali have also earned a reputation for ruthless use of aerial power that has resulted in countless civilian casualties. For instance, on January 3rd, 2021, in the village of Bonti in the central Mopti region of Mali, a French drone strike killed 19 civilians who were part of a wedding party. France said they were targeting terrorists, but an investigation by the UN found that the French drone fired at a marriage celebration attended by about 100 people, which might have included five armed persons. In these nine years, France has little to show insecurity gains for all the violence that occurred under its occupation. As a result, France and its Western allies have lost credibility in the region. By waging a war on Libya in 2011, France along with NATO has been accused of creating the very menace of Islamist insurgencies it came to Mali to counter. It was in this context that protests against the presence of French armed troops first broke out in 2020. These protests were also against the corrupt French-backed government of then-Mali President Ibrahim Bubakar Keeta. They were led by the M5 RFP movement, which is a coalition of Mali's unions, opposition parties, religious leaders and social movements. In August 2020, a military coup ousted Keeta. After a second coup in 2021, Colonel Asimi Goethe consolidated power and became interim president. His administration has moved away from dependency on France and explored security partnerships with other powers, mainly Russia and Turkey. Regional and global groups along with corporate media have called the coups anti-democratic and demanded the reinstatement of the civilian leaders who the people were protesting against. But the soldiers who staged the coup have said that their actions were to end the suffering of Malians and that they will relinquish power as soon as credible elections can be held. According to observers, meaningful elections can only be held by next year after making adequate security preparations and holding political dialogues to secure peace between various groups. It is widely recognized by the people of Mali that the French don't actually care for democracy in their country or about strengthening their security against religious extremism. The real interest of the imperialist powers is only in controlling Mali's wealth of gold, uranium and other precious resources. Marjalaam was raised about the future of the fight against terrorism in the region when the initial announcement about the withdrawal of French troops was made in February. Mali's government had issued a communique stating that the fight would not have been necessary if the NATO had not intervened in Libya in 2011. This intervention, which fundamentally changed the security situation in the region and in which France played an active role to the great displeasure of the Africans is the root of the current security problems in Mali in particular and in the Sahel in general. The government also said it has taken steps to strengthen Mali's armed forces and diversify its security partnerships particularly for creating conditions conducive enough to hold elections. While French troops may have left Mali, they will still remain in the Sahel region. Much of the troops have been relocated to Niyame, which is the capital city of the neighboring country Niger. Some are also now in Burkina Faso and Chad. A total of 2,500 troops will remain in the region along with fighter jets, drones, helicopters, etc. According to Macron, the troops are being relocated to countries which want French assistance in their security operations. But it is only eager governments disconnected from the strong anti-French sentiment in their population who have approved this. Both Niger and Burkina Faso have seen protests against French military presence. In January, in the backdrop of these protests, Burkina Faso also saw a popularly supported military coup. My call Zodi, one of the leaders of the protest movement in Niger, has warned that the redeployment of troops in their territory is unacceptable and that the citizens will treat the French as an occupying force.