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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Jan- 2022 -23 JanuaryAfrica
French Soldier Killed in Mortar Attack in Mali
A French soldier was killed in a mortar attack on a military camp in the northern Mali city of Gao, France's presidency said on Sunday.
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18 JanuaryAfrica
Danish Soldiers Deploy to Troubled Mali
A contingent of some 90 Danish soldiers has arrived in Mali to join European special forces supporting the country's anti-jihadist operations.
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17 JanuaryAfrica
Mali Junta Seeks Review of Defense Accord With France
Mali has asked France for a review of bilateral defense accords against the backdrop of growing tensions between Paris and the ruling junta in Bamako.
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Oct- 2021 -18 OctoberAfrica
Mali Doubles Down on French ‘Abandonment’ With Troop Drawdown
Mali's prime minister reiterated his claim that France was deserting the country and accused Paris of failing to contain a deadly Islamist insurgency.
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Sep- 2021 -16 SeptemberAfrica
French Forces Kill IS Sahel Jihadist Leader Wanted by US
The head of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara wanted for deadly attacks on US soldiers has been killed in an operation by French troops.
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Jul- 2021 -14 JulyAfrica
France’s Sahel Military Force Will End in Early 2022: Macron
France's anti-jihadist military force in the Sahel region, which today involves over 5,000 troops, will end in the first quarter of 2022.
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9 JulyAfrica
France to Start Closing Military Bases in Mali by Year-End: Macron
President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France would start closing its bases in northern Mali before the end of the year, part of a drawdown of French troops fighting Islamist extremists in the Sahel.
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Jun- 2021 -18 JuneAsia Pacific
UN Says Planning for Afghanistan Violence Hike When US Troops Withdraw
The United Nations is planning for a possible increase in violence in Afghanistan when US troops withdraw after two decades, the global body's refugee chief said.
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17 JuneAfrica
France Arrests ‘High-Ranking’ ISGS Jihadist Abou Dardar in Mali
French forces in Mali have captured a man they describe as a "high-ranking fighter of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara," the French military said.
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14 JuneAfrica
Police Officer, Two Soldiers Killed in Ivory Coast Blast
Two soldiers and a police officer were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device in northeast Ivory Coast near the border with Burkina Faso, the military said Sunday.
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