PARIS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference on Tuesday that there would be no immediate adjustment to France’s military presence in Africa’s Sahel region, and that any changes would depend on the involvement of France’s partners.

Macron added there was an increased willingness from European partners to take part in the Takuba military force in Sahel.

France, the region’s former colonial power, is searching for an exit strategy. Its counter-insurgency operation in the Sahel has cost billions and left 55 French soldiers dead, yet violence is persisting with signs it is spreading to coastal West Africa. (Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

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