French president calls for hand power back to civilians in Mali

SANAA, Sept. 23 (YPA) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that “the military council in Mali should hand power back to civilians and hold fast elections.”
Macron warned that “the French role in fighting Islamic militants in the region will depend on this step.”
A former Malian defense minister and retired colonel Bah Ndaou was nominated as interim president on Monday, while Asimi Guetta, the leader of the military council that seized power last month, was named vice president.
France, a former colonial country of Mali and now has about 5,100 soldiers fighting jihadist groups in the Sahel region, is concerned that the August 18 military coup will set a dangerous precedent and undermine the campaign against militant Islamist groups, according to Reuters.
Macron said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, “The military council must put Mali on the path to returning to civilian power that cannot be undone and organize quick elections.”