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 Nigerien. Fort Madama in Niger, 12 November 2014.
Date1 August 2014 – Present
LocationSahel: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad
Belligerents

 France
 Germany
 Mali
 Niger
 Burkina Faso
 Mauritania
 Chad
Support:

 United Kingdom[1][2]

 Canada[3][4]		 Al-Mourabitoun (2014-17)
AQIM (2014-17)
Ansar Dine (2014-17)
Commanders and leaders
France François Hollande
France Emmanuel Macron
Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Niger Mahamadou Issoufou
Burkina Faso Michel Kafando
Mauritania Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Chad Idriss Déby		 Djamel Okacha
Iyad ag Ghali
Mokhtar Belmokhtar
Strength
3,500 French troops[5] 3,000 fighters (all groups)[6]
Casualties and losses
France 8 killed[7][8] 65 killed, 60 captured[9]
The Sahel region.

Operation Barkhane is an ongoing anti-insurgent operation in Africa's Sahel region, which commenced 1 August 2014.[10] It consists of a 3,000-strong French force, which will be permanent and headquartered in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad.[5] The operation has been designed with five countries, and former French colonies, that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.[5] These countries are collectively referred to as the "G5 Sahel."[11]

The operation is named after a crescent-shaped dune in the Sahara desert.[12]

Background

The operation is the successor of Operation Serval, the French military mission in Mali,[12] and Operation Epervier, the mission in Chad.[13]

Aim

The operation is "to become the French pillar of counterterrorism in the Sahel region."[11] According to French Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the main objective of Operation Barkhane is counter-terrorism:[10] "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."[14] 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.[12]

The operation will target Islamist extremists in Mali, Chad and Niger,[10] and will have a mandate to operate across borders.[10]

Forces committed

French Forces

The French force is a 3,000-strong counter-terrorism force,[5] with 1,000 soldiers to be deployed indefinitely in Mali. These soldiers will be focused on counter-terrorism operations in northern Mali, with another 1,200 soldiers stationed in Chad, and the remaining soldiers split between a surveillance base in Niger, a bigger permanent base in Ivory Coast, and some special forces in Burkina Faso.[5]

According to original plans, the French forces will be supplied with 20 helicopters, 200 armored vehicles, 10 transport aircraft, 6 fighter planes, and 3 drones.[5] French Army Aviation currently have two Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma's in Chad.[15]

The division of labor between France and the G5 Sahel has been established by four permanent military bases:[11] (1) headquarters and an air force base in the Chadian capital of N'Djamena (under the leadership of French Général Palasset); (2) a regional base in Gao, north Mali, with at least 1,000 men; (3) a special-forces base in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou; (4) an intelligence base in Niger’s capital, Niamey, with over 300 men.

The Niamey air base is strategically important because it hosts drones in charge of gathering intelligence across the entire Sahel-Saharan region.[11] From Niamay, France's troops are supported by two German Transall C-160.[16]

British support

In March 2016, during the UK-France Summit in Paris, the British government announced that it would consider providing support to Operation Barkhane.[1] British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon then announced that the UK would provide monthly strategic airlift support to French forces in Africa.[2]

Operations

Operations commenced 1 August 2014. French Forces sustained their first casualty during a battle in early November 2014, which also resulted in 24 jihadists dead.[9]

On 12 April 2016, three French soldiers were killed when their armored personnel carrier struck a land mine. The convoy of about 60 vehicles was travelling to the northern desert town of Tessalit when it hit the mine.[17]

On 15 March 2017, French forces arrested eight jihadists in desert north of Timbuktu.[18]

On 5 April 2017, master corporal Julien Barbé,[19] was killed in action near Hombori after an explosive device blew up an armoured vehicle.[20] He was posthumously made a knight of the Legion of Honour.[19]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "UK-France Summit 3 rd March 2016 - Annex on security and defence" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Defence Secretary secures progress on Brimstone sales as unmanned aircraft project moves forward". Ministry of Defence. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016. And he committed the UK to providing one strategic airlift flight a month to support French forces in their operations against terrorists in Africa.
  3. ↑ "Operation FREQUENCE". Forces.gc.ca. National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "The CAF conduct airlift operations in support of French operations in West Africa and the Sahel region". Government of Canada. National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "François Hollande’s African adventures: The French are reorganising security in an increasingly troubled region". Economist.
  6. ↑ "Jihadist threat not as big as you think". CNN. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "One more French soldier killed in Mali". Xinhua News Agency. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "French soldier killed in Mali blast claimed by Islamists". 5 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 "French Military Says 24 Jihadists Killed in Mali". ABC News. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 France sets up anti-Islamist force in Africa's Sahel, bbc.co.uk.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Larivé, Maxime H.A. "Welcome to France's New War on Terror in Africa: Operation Barkhane". nationalinterest.org.
  12. 1 2 3 Hollande announces new military operation in West Africa, france24.com.
  13. ↑ Opération Barkhane, French Ministry of Defense.
  14. ↑ France Launches New Sahel Counter-Terrorism Operation Barkhane, ibtimes.co.uk.
  15. ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. November 2015. p. 23.
  16. ↑ http://www.einsatz.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/einsatzbw/!ut/p/c4/LYvBCsIwEET_KJuAWPXW0IvgQbxovci2WcpimpS4tVD8eBPoDAzMPAaekB3wywMKx4AeHtD2fOoW1S2OXsThg7Lmim-ZyfttIlkJ7uXsSPUxkJQUCsI5h4QSk5piEl_InFImih202jTWVDu9yfxqezkerrraN2d7g2kc6z_vkPJS/
  17. ↑ France-Presse, Agence (2016-04-13). "Three French soldiers killed in Mali mine blast". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  18. ↑ Baba Ahmed. "French forces arrest 8 jihadists in northern Mali: Official". Star Tribune.
  19. 1 2 "Angers Un hommage émouvant au soldat Julien Barbé tué au Mali". Le Courrier de l'ouest. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "French soldier killed in 'clash with terrorists' in Mali". France 24. 6 April 2017.
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