French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived Thursday in the Malian capital Bamako on the first leg of a tour of several countries to prepare for a post-war Mali, according to an Agence France Presse journalist.
Le Drian, who was greeted by his Malian counterpart Yamoussa Camara, made no comment but his ministry released a statement from Paris saying the trip was preparation for the period after the French withdrawal.
Mali called on France's help in January to halt an Islamist advance on Bamako and French and African troops have since pushed the al-Qaida-linked militants into desert and mountain hideouts, from where they are staging guerrilla attacks.
"The capacity of these groups has been significantly reduced. Two hundred tons of ammunition and weapons have been seized and their bases have been systematically destroyed to end the impunity they enjoyed," the statement said.
"The Malian government will now regain sovereignty over all its territory."
Le Drian will encourage the Malian government to help its people "seize the future for their country", the statement added.
The minister travels on Friday to Gao, the largest city in the north -- which had been under control of the Islamists -- to salute the work of the French army and its African allies.
From there he will go to Niamey and N'Djamena, the respective capitals of Niger and Chad, the two African nations that have been fighting alongside the French since January 11.
Le Drian's visit comes shortly after the beginning of a phased withdrawal of the 4,500-strong French contingency which will see just 1,000 troops left in Mali by the end of the year.
They will be gradually be replaced, starting from July, by a force of 12,600 peacekeepers responsible for stabilizing the north, whose creation was approved Thursday by the United Nations Security Council.
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