In a speech that reflected on the end to a French presence in many west African countries, President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech that host nations forgot to say thank you. The remark provoked responses from host countries. Wassim Nasr, a senior fellow at the Soufan Center, is an expert on militant extremist movements in the Sahel and West Africa and explains what the French withdrawal means, and why Macron’s comment struck a nerve.
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