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6:25PM GMT 04 Feb 2013
Barely 48 hours after President Francois Hollande received a rapturous welcome in Timbuktu, the departure of the "Groupe Tactique Inter-Armes" raised fears of a precipitate French retreat.
The plan is for the Malian army, supported by soldiers from other African countries, to assume responsibility for security. Many ordinary Malians however do not trust their own army to defend them, remembering how al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its allies seized Timbuktu and the rest of northern Mali with ease last March.
Until yesterday, about 800 French soldiers were deployed in Timbuktu. A French military spokesman said that 500 were departing, but a smaller number would arrive. After this rotation, the French contingent will be reduced, but still able to secure the city.
"There will be some elements left," she said. "We have a transition to Malian troops."
With the recapture of Timbuktu and Gao – the two biggest cities in the north – the peak of France's military campaign in Mali has probably passed.
The focus has turned further north, towards the Saharan town of Kidal and the remote desert frontier with Algeria.
France is carrying out air strikes in this region, where AQIM commanders are believed to have found refuge. The next objective for ground forces will be to secure Kidal.
Once that has been achieved, France will withdraw its combat units and leave only a training mission to bolster the Malian army and the West African regional force, aided by British troops. France's total force in Mali numbers only 2,500, which is insufficient for a long term operation.
The departure from Timbuktu shows that a gradual drawdown is under way.
Later this week, the French army is expected to commandeer a ferry crossing over the Niger River so that troops and supplies can be taken southwards, away from the war zone.
Judging the right moment to leave will be exceptionally difficult. If France goes too soon, the gains of its lightning offensive could be at risk. Ordinary people in Timbuktu fear the possible consequences of an early French withdrawal. "I have no confidence in the Malian army," said Suleiman Abdullahi, a teacher. "I know them. I see how they work. I know they are not effective."
