Operation Barkhane
Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012, exploiting a Tuareg separatist uprising.
France began a military intervention the next year that evolved into the current Operation Barkhane deployment with a mandate for counter-terror operations across the Sahel region, encompassing Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
Around 4,500 French personnel are deployed, and they work alongside the G5 Sahel joint counter-terrorism force that aims to train 5,000 troops, as well as peacekeepers deployed to the United Nations Minusma stabilization mission in Mali.
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Oct- 2018 -7 OctoberAfrica
Airstrikes reported after Burkina Faso soldier killed in bomb attack near Pama in restive East
A Burkina Faso military officer was killed and a soldier injured when their vehicle was hit in a roadside bomb attack near Pama in Kompienga province in the restive East
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4 OctoberAfrica
Burkina Faso gendarme killed in attack on Inata gold mine in Soum province
A Burkina Faso gendarme was killed and another injured in an attack on a security post at the Inata gold mine in the north of the country
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Sep- 2018 -27 SeptemberBlog
Mali: More than 100 French troops parachute into Menaka
French paratroops conducted an airborne operation in the Ménaka region of northeastern Mali near the Niger border
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Aug- 2018 -27 AugustAfrica
Mali: Two civilians, ‘senior ISIS official’ among 4 killed in French airstrike
A senior official of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, a bodyguard and two civilians were killed in northeastern Mali in a French airstrike, the French Armed Forces said
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23 AugustBlog
French desert troops take to boats in Mali
French desert troops recently took to boats to patrol the Niger River in Mali, the first time that they have been used in France's Barkhane counter-terrorism operation in the Sahel
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21 AugustAfrica
Mali: Estonia troops to begin operations in Gao
Estonian troops in Mali have finalized their preparations and will begin their support of France's Operation Barkhane counter-terrorism mission
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17 AugustAfrica
UK Chinook helicopters in Mali ‘fully operational’
Three RAF Chinook heavy lift helicopters are now fully operational and are supporting French counter-terrorism operations in Mali, the UK Ministry of Defence said
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Jul- 2018 -1 JulyAfrica
Mali: French forces targeted in Gao attack
Forces deployed to France's Sahel Operation Barkhane counter-terrorism mission in Mali were attacked in Gao
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Jun- 2018 -14 JuneAfrica
First UK troops arrive in Africa to support France’s Barkhane mission in the Sahel
The first troops from a 100-member British contingent that will include three Chinook helicopters and will work with French counter-terrorism forces in the Sahel have arrived, the French military said
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May- 2018 -2 MayAfrica
Mali Tuaregs blame ISIS-linked group for third deadly attack on civilians in a week
Jihadists killed 17 civilians in an attack of “inexplicable horror” in northern Mali near the border with Niger, local militia groups said
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