France confirms withdrawal of troops from Mali - as widely expected

A statement from Elysee Palace, the presidency, confirmed the move which was widely expected given recent bad blood between Bamako and Paris.

The announcement came ahead of an EU-Africa summit in Brussels. The action is said to be a coordinated withdrawal together with European allies and Canada.

France will, however, continue to participate in anti-terrorism operations in the wider Sahel region

The allies say they want to extend the geographical scope of their support, including to the countries of the Gulf of Guinea, a BBC report noted.