The new French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu continued his West African tour on Saturday, meeting Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan.

Lecornu’s visit to Ivory Coast follows a stop in Niger to discuss the security situation in Africa, particularly in the Sahel-Saharan strip.

Analysts believe that France is re-strategizing in West Africa after its fallout with Mali.

Under Macron's orders, the massive pullout from Mali should be completed by summer's end, and by then, Barkhane, which counted 5,100 personnel in the Sahel at its peak, will have "around 2,500" in the region, the operation's commander General Laurent Michon said.

France is now reorganizing its troops in Niger to help in the fight against Jihadist attacks in the region.