France on Thursday announced its decision to reduce the country’s military presence in the Sahel Region of Africa “after observing a significant change in the region.” The country stationed more than 5,000 troops in the region in 2013 under Operation Barkhane to fight Islamic extremists.
During a press conference, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the end of Operation Barkhane is near but failed to provide a time frame for the said event. He stated that the current operation will be replaced with another operation in collaboration with regional partners and will solely focus on the fight against terrorism. CNN stated that the Takuba Task Force, which is led by France, along with Malian Armed Forces in the Sahel, will lead the efforts. More details about the troop pullout and the new operation are expected to be released by the end of June.
Macron stressed that the final goal is to reduce the country’s multiple military deployments. The decision came as a surprise, as earlier this year, France revoked its threat to withdraw troops during a two-day summit with the leaders of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, also known as the G5 Sahel.
The militant takeover of Northern Mali in 2012 forced France to intervene and deploy French troops in the region. Under operation Serval, France intervened and attempted to defeat the militants. In 2014, operation Serval was replaced by Operation Barkhane, which included Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
The decision to withdraw from the region also comes after the swearing-in of Mali’s coup leader Colonel Assimi Goïta as the President of the transition government. According to the Associated Press, the President said, “France is in Africa only at the request of Africans...to fight against terrorism. But the shape of our presence, an operation abroad involving 5,000 troops, is not adapted anymore to the reality of the combats.”
“The reduction of Barkhane troops will not have an impact on Mali since Russian troops will arrive and replace them. Although, the reduction will have an impact on Burkina Faso because the terrorists will try to move towards Burkina Faso and they could possibly spread to the South,” an analyst with the Centre for Public Policy said.
According to GhanaWeb, thousands of civilians and soldiers including French soldiers and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force have been killed due to Islamist militants. After the Pau Summit in 2020, the leaders of the G5 called for international cooperation and appreciated France’s continued presence in the Sahel-Sahara strip to fight terrorist groups. However, due to misgivings over the success of the mission, the multiple deaths of French soldiers, and public discontent against French military presence in the region, the Macron administration has now firmly stated its intention to draw down its presence in the Sahel.
France to Reduce Troop Presence in Africa’s Sahel Region
President Emmanuel Macron mentioned that Operation Barkhane will be replaced with another operation in collaboration with regional partners.
June 11, 2021
Operation Barkhane SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA