France's army chief Lecointre steps down

PARIS - France's chief of staff of the armed forces, General Francois Lecointre, is stepping down to retire and will be replaced by General Thierry Burkhard, the French Presidency said in a statement on Sunday.

Burkhard was up to now army's chief of land staff. Lecointre's retirement was widely expected.

The announcement comes after President Emmanuel Macron announced a drawdown in Mali which will take several months of planning.