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- 2020 -20 JanuaryAfrica
Chad plans military deployment to Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border area
French and Swedish defense ministers discussed Chad plans to deploy military personnel to the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border area
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17 JanuaryAfrica
Barkhane: France to deploy 220 experienced troops ‘accustomed to operating in the Sahel’
France is to send 220 experienced troops who are "accustomed to operating in the Sahel" to reinforce its Operation Barkane mission
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17 JanuaryAfrica
Barkhane: 15 ‘terrorists’ killed in joint Liptako-Gourma operations
More than 1,000 troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the G5 Sahel Joint Force, and Barkhane took part in actions in the Liptako-Gourma region
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14 JanuaryAfrica
Sahel Coalition: G5 and France agree new joint command, will prioritize fight against Islamic State
France and the G5 Sahel will form a military coalition under joint command and focus counter-insurgency efforts against ISIS
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11 JanuaryAfrica
Burkina Faso Super Tucano conducts first joint air op with French Mirage 2000 jets
Burkina Faso conducted its first joint air operation with France, when a Super Tucano worked alongside Mirage 2000D fighter jets near Arbinda in December
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10 JanuaryAfrica
At least 25 Niger soldiers, 63 ‘terrorists’ killed in attack on army base in Tillaberi region
Insurgents attacked a Niger military base in the Tillaberi region leading to clashes that killed at least 25 soldiers and 63 "terrorists"
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10 JanuaryAfrica
More than 50 ‘terrorists’ killed in French commando operations in Mali
Supported by helicopters, jets and armed Reaper drones, commandoes deployed to Operation Barkhane conducted three helicopter-borne assaults in Mali
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9 JanuaryAfrica
Mali: At least 18 UN peacekeepers, 2 civilians injured in Tessalit mortar attack
At least 18 U.N. peacekeepers and two civilians were wounded in a mortar attack on a military base in Tessalit in Mali's desert north
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Nov- 2019 -29 NovemberAfrica
France’s military chief of staff rejects ISIS claim for deadly Mali helicopter crash
An ISWAP ambush did not cause a collision between two French army helicopters which left 13 soldiers dead in Mali, General Francois Lecointre said
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26 NovemberAfrica
Mali helicopter collision kills 13 French soldiers with Operation Barkhane
Thirteen soldiers from France's anti-terrorist Barkhane force in Mali were killed after two helicopters collided during an operation in the country's north
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