Operation Barkhane
| Operation Barkhane | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2012 Northern Mali conflict, Insurgency in the Maghreb and the War on Terror | |||||
 French soldiers (3rd RPIMa) and Nigerian. Fort Madama in Niger, 12 November 2014. | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
|
 United States |
 Ansar Dine | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
 François Hollande Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta Mahamadou Issoufou Michel Kafando Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz Idriss Déby |
Djamel Okacha Iyad ag Ghali Mokhtar Belmokhtar | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| 3,000 French troops[1] | 3,000 fighters (all groups)[2] | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
1 killed[3] | 24 killed[3] | ||||
| ||||||
Operation Barkhane is an anti-terrorist operation in Africa's Sahel region beginning in August 2014.[4] It consists of a 3,000-strong French force, which will be permanent and headquartered in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad.[1] The operation has been designed with five countries, and former French colonies, that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.[1]
The operation is named after a crescent-shaped dune in the Sahara desert.[5]
Background
The operation is the successor of Operation Serval, the French military mission in Mali,[5] and Operation Epervier, the mission in Chad.[6]
Aim
According to French Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the main objective of Operation Barkhane is counter-terrorism:[4] "The aim is to prevent what I call the highway of all forms of traffics to become a place of permanent passage, where jihadist groups between Libya and the Atlantic Ocean can rebuild themselves, which would lead to serious consequences for our security."[7] French President, François Hollande, has said the Barkhane force will allow for a "rapid and efficient intervention in the event of a crisis" in the region.[5]
The operation will target Islamist extremists in Mali, Chad and Niger,[4] and will have a mandate to operate across borders.[4]
Forces committed
French Forces
The French force will be a 3,000-strong counter-terrorism force[1] with 1,000 soldiers indefinitely in Mali. These soldiers will be focused on counter-terrorism operations in northern Mali another 1,200 soldiers stationed in Chad and the remaining soldiers will be split between a surveillance base in Niger, a bigger permanent base in Ivory Coast, and some special forces in Burkina Faso.[1]
The French forces will be supplied with 20 helicopters, 200 armoured vehicles, 10 transport aircraft, 6 fighter planes and 3 drones.[1]
Operations
Operations commenced in August 2014 and the French Forces sustained their first soldier killed during a battle which resulted in 24 Jihadists dead in early November.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "François Hollande’s African adventures: The French are reorganising security in an increasingly troubled region". Economist.
- ↑ "Jihadist threat not as big as you think". CNN. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "French Military Says 24 Jihadists Killed in Mali". ABC News. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 France sets up anti-Islamist force in Africa's Sahel, bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hollande announces new military operation in West Africa, france24.com.
- ↑ Opération Barkhane, French Ministry of Defense.
- ↑ France Launches New Sahel Counter-Terrorism Operation Barkhane, ibtimes.co.uk.