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. | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
|
 United Kingdom[1][2] |
 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[3] | 3,000 fighters (all groups)[4] | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
7 killed[5][6] | 65 killed, 60 captured[5] | ||||
Operation Barkhane is an ongoing anti-insurgent operation in Africa's Sahel region, which commenced 1 August 2014.[7] It consists of a 3,000-strong French force, which will be permanent and headquartered in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad.[3] The operation has been designed with five countries, and former French colonies, that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.[3] These countries are collectively referred to as the "G5 Sahel."[8]
The operation is named after a crescent-shaped dune in the Sahara desert.[9]
Background
The operation is the successor of Operation Serval, the French military mission in Mali,[9] and Operation Epervier, the mission in Chad.[10]
Aim
The operation is "to become the French pillar of counterterrorism in the Sahel region."[8] According to French Defence Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the main objective of Operation Barkhane is counter-terrorism:[7] "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."[11] 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.[9]
The operation will target Islamist extremists in Mali, Chad and Niger,[7] and will have a mandate to operate across borders.[7]
Forces committed
French Forces
The French force is a 3,000-strong counter-terrorism force,[3] 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.[3]
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.[3] French Army Aviation currently have two Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma's in Chad.[12]
The division of labor between France and the G5 Sahel has been established by four permanent military bases:[8] (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.[8] From Niamay, Frances troops are supported by two German Transall C-160.[13]
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.[5]
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.[14]
See also
References
- 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.
- 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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "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.
- 1 2 3 "French Military Says 24 Jihadists Killed in Mali". ABC News. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ↑ "Land mine blast in northern Mali kills three French soldiers". BBC News. 13 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 France sets up anti-Islamist force in Africa's Sahel, bbc.co.uk.
- 1 2 3 4 Larivé, Maxime H.A. "Welcome to France's New War on Terror in Africa: Operation Barkhane". nationalinterest.org.
- 1 2 3 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.
- ↑ AirForces Monthly. Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing Ltd. November 2015. p. 23.
- ↑ http://www.einsatz.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/einsatzbw/!ut/p/c4/LYvBCsIwEET_KJuAWPXW0IvgQbxovci2WcpimpS4tVD8eBPoDAzMPAaekB3wywMKx4AeHtD2fOoW1S2OXsThg7Lmim-ZyfttIlkJ7uXsSPUxkJQUCsI5h4QSk5piEl_InFImih202jTWVDu9yfxqezkerrraN2d7g2kc6z_vkPJS/
- ↑ France-Presse, Agence (2016-04-13). "Three French soldiers killed in Mali mine blast". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-04-16.