Despite all of France's pressing domestic issues, its newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron, traveled to Mali during his first week in office , sending a clear message to the world: France still considers Africa a top priority. On the trip, Macron met May 19 with Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and with some of the more than 3,000 French troops stationed in the country under the aegis of Operation Barkhane. Though Macron's political strategy is still solidifying from campaign promises into actual policy, his administration will face the same severe constraints in the Sahel region as did his predecessors, including institutional weakness, resilient Islamic militant groups and rough physical terrain — which will make a military drawdown difficult. New President, Old Problems There is little doubt that France's 2013 intervention helped stave off a complete collapse of the Malian state.