Following the 2013 arrival of French troops in Mali, In August 2014, the French deployment to the Sahel region became Operation Barkhane. The deployment eventually grew to include over 5,000… Continue reading "France Ending Operation Barkhane in Sahel & Cuts Military Aid to CAR"
On December 29th, three French soldiers were killed when an armored vehicle was struck by an IED. Less than a week later, two of their comrades met a similar fate,… Continue reading "French Military Facing Mounting Losses and Controversy in the Sahel"
Aided by the chaos of the Libyan civil war, Islamist groups made significant gains in northern Mali over the course of 2013. The French were quick to act and rapidly… Continue reading "France to Withdraw Troops From the Sahel Region"
The French-led Task Force Takuba will consist of Special Operations Forces and its task will be to fight armed terrorist groups in the Sahel region of West Africa. Despite the… Continue reading "European Governments Form Task Force Takuba to Combat Terrorism in The Sahel"
At a ceremony at Niger Air Base 101 in Niamey, the Niger Air Force (Armée de l’Air du Nigér) received the third and final C-130 Hercules aircraft donated by the… Continue reading "Niger Air Force Receives Third and Last C-130 Hercules Military Transport Aircraft"
In a recent interview with local Indian media, UN Under Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix noted that deaths among UN peacekeeping forces are rising sharply. In 2020, 13… Continue reading "Deaths Among UN Peacekeepers Rising, UN Under Secretary General for Peace Operations Says"
The military junta governing Mali announced on Wednesday that it was expelling Olivier Salgado, spokesman for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, over a series of tweets… Continue reading "Mali Expels UN Peacekeeping Mission Spokesman Over Tweets"
After nearly a decade of fighting Islamist insurgents in the country, France has announced it is withdrawing troops from Mali. French forces will be redeployed elsewhere in the Sahel. In… Continue reading "France Announces Troop Withdrawal from Mali"
On Sunday, The French Ministry of Armed Forces announced that around 60 terrorists were “neutralized” in Burkina Faso between 15-23 January by French troops operating as part of Operation Barkhane.… Continue reading "French Army Reports It Neutralized 60 Terrorists in Burkina Faso"
The Russian deployment in Mali continues to expand with reports of Russian soldiers and private military contractors occupying a former French base. This occupation of the base has been preceded… Continue reading "Russian Forces Deploy In Timbuktu, Mali Following French Withdrawal"