French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the African Sahel states forgot to thank France for preventing their nations from falling under the control of militants.
Macron stated that France had a relationship with its former colonies based on security.
In a video obtained by charmingpro from the BBC X handle on Monday, the French President said that French soldiers were in the West African countries in the first place at their request.
The statement comes after French forces began withdrawing from Ivory Coast starting in January.
French forces had earlier withdrawn from Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic.
French soldiers were asked to withdraw from Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and the Benin Republic