France along with its European allies announced the beginning of the withdrawal of troops from Mali on 17 February, blaming the military junta of Mali for obstructions in carrying out their military operations. France stated that the withdrawal was meant for its soldiers part of both Operation Barkhane and Takuba Task Force. Macron stated that the base of the operation would shift from Mali to Niger. France began redeploying its forces to other countries of the Sahel like Chad.
