France welcomes vote to renew UN mission in Mali

France on Thursday welcomed the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution renewing the UN peace-keeping mission in Mali for another 12 months.
France intervened militarily in Mali in January 2013 to prevent an overrun of the country by several radical Islamist groups allied with Tuareg rebels which had taken control of the north of the country for several months and were pushing further south.
Initially, France has more than 4,000 troops deployed in Mali but Paris has gradually been handing over responsibility for domestic security to the Malian army and a UN force, mainly from Africa, which is to number about 11,000 men plus 1,000 police officers at full strength.
The French government noted that Security Council resolution 2164 will bolster the UN role in former combat areas in northern Mali, where there are still sometimes serious clashes and terror attacks.
The UN will also increase its "political role" to push for "inclusive peace talks" with minority populations in the north and also include other regional players in the process.
France says it will maintain a force of 1,000 troops available in Mali but not under the control of the UN. These forces are ostensibly to be used in anti-terrorist operations in the region and will coordinate with French forces deployed in neighbouring countries like Niger and Chad