French president Emmanuel Macron recently announced a “noticeable reduction” of France's troop presence in Mali and Burkina Faso after years of fighting jihadists there. In this interview, Prof Kwesi Aning talks about colonialism and the failure to build democracy and peace in Mali. He says that the mistakes foreign powers made in Mali must not be repeated in other African countries. Currently, 17 African states are considered to be at risk of falling into conflict, according to The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

Professor Kwesi Aning is Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana. He is also a NAI Associate.