FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2019 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita prior to their meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the president of Mali the country at the center of the battle against Islamist extremists was ousted last week in a coup detat.
Operation Barkhane ... continues, French Defense Minister Florence Parly tweeted last week, after the bloodless coup in Mali by a clutch of military officers who detained Keita and his prime minister.
France has 600 million euros ($708 million) in aid projects underway in Mali alone, according to the French Development Agency official in charge of Mali, Nicolas Mora.
The French goal is to stabilize Mali and then allow troops of the region to take over.