Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday a “visible reduction” of French military personnel on the African continent, pleading for a true security partnership with local states in the face of the advance of jihadist groups, writes AFP.

“The transformation will begin in the coming months with a significant reduction in our forces and an increase in the strength of our African partners at these bases,” the French head of state said in a speech on the eve of the African tour.

This reorganization “does not aim at withdrawal or demarcation, but will lead (…) to Africanization, mutualization of its main bases,” he explained at the press conference.

“You will have a reduction in the size of our troops, accompanied by an increase in the number of their African partners according to the needs that will be identified and refined” in the coming weeks, he added.

A year ago, Paris announced it wanted to talk to Gulf of Guinea states threatened by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group to develop new relations.

Macron’s statements came after the end of the Barkhane anti-terrorist operation in the Sahel and the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali and Burkina Faso. Both countries are now controlled by military juntas, and there is a strong sense of hostility towards France.

The idea is for the French military to act as a “second curtain,” Elysée said.