France vows to continue anti-terrorist ops in Mali

French President Emmanuel Macron urged Mali's ruling junta to release ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and implement a transition to democracy without delay.

The 75-year-old Keita and his prime minister were being held outside the capital at the Kati military barracks as the United Nations and France, Mali's former coloniser, stepped up their calls for a return to civilian rule.

Macron again condemned the coup "against a president who was democratically elected by his people."

"We asked for him to be released as quickly as possible, and for no violence to be committed. And secondly, for power to be returned to civilians as quickly as possible," Macron said, speaking Thursday evening alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Keita resigned his position on Tuesday evening, a few hours after he was detained at gunpoint by coup leaders.

Macron stressed the importance of focusing on the fight against terrorism, the only reason he says for the continuing French presence in Mali.