France calls time on Sahel operation

President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France is ending Operation Barkhane, its anti-jihadist mission in Africa’s Sahel region


Bases 
Operation Barkhane 
G5 Sahel* 
MINUSMA† 
Prepositioned French forces


MAURITANIA
Nouakchott
Bamako
Dakar
GUINEA
SENEGAL
ATLANTIC OCEAN
MALI
Timbuktu 
Gao
Mopti
CÔTE D’IVOIRE
Abidjan 
Ouagadougou
ALGERIA
Tessalit
Kidal
Menaka 
Niamey
NIGERIA
BURKINA FASO
Agadez: U.S. drone base
NIGER 
LIBYA
Faya
CHAD 
Abeche
N’Djamena
500km 300 miles


Jan 2013: France sends troops to Mali to stem jihadist insurgency

2014: Launch of Operation Barkhane – anti-terror mission involves 5,500 French troops at height of its deployment

2020: Coup in Mali. Military junta accuses France of interference and turns to Russian mercenary Wagner Group for security

Feb 17, 2022: France announces military withdrawal from Mali

Aug 15: Last French troops leave Malian base in Gao

Nov 9: President Macron officially announces end of Operation Barkhane. Some 3,000
French troops to remain in Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso


*Troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger. Mali withdrew in June 2022
†United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali


Sources: AFP, BBC, France 24, MINUSMA 
Picture: Getty Images 
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