Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, stated on Wednesday that he intended to “rethink of all our (military) postures on the African continent” and that he had tasked his ministries and army leaders to work on it.

Prior to the July 14 Bastille Day celebration in Paris, Macron made the remarks while speaking to French soldiers.

French officials head to Niger on Friday to redefine the country’s strategy to fight Islamist militants in the Sahel as thousands of troops complete a withdrawal from Mali and concerns mount over the growing threat to coastal West African states.