French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday refuted the idea that Operation Barkhane was a failure, in response to an open letter from around a hundred senators addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron. “Today Niger, yesterday Mali, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso rejected France, French forces, French companies”, …
Read More »Mali: France announces the withdrawal of its troops
French authorities have officially announced the withdrawal of French troops of Operation Barkhane from Mali, where they had been fighting jihadists since 2013. According to Élysée officials, it is downright impossible for France to continue its anti-terrorist deployment in Mali, due to the growing hostility of the military authorities in …
Read More »French Defence minister in Niger for two days
The French defence minister, Florence Parly, is on a two-day visit to Niger as part of plans to devise a new security strategy for the Sahel. This follows mounting tensions with neighbouring Mali’s military leaders, including the expulsion of the French ambassador earlier this week. Germany has called into question …
Read More »Burkina Faso: French-backed army kills at least 60 Islamist militants
France says dozens of militants have been killed in Burkina Faso in operations involving local and French troops, the BBC reports. The assaults were conducted as part of the French-led Operation Barkhane against Islamist groups in the Sahel region of Africa – before the 23 January coup. The French military …
Read More »Burkina Faso: four French soldiers injured by explosion
Four French soldiers from the Operation Barkhane taskforce were injured in an explosion in Burkina Faso, French media including Le Monde, Le Figaro and Agence France Presse reported. Their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). The four soliders – one of whom was seriously wounded – have …
Read More »Niger: French army kills Islamic State leader
The French armed forces ministry said on Tuesday that its “Operation Barkhane” unit had killed Soumana Boura, a leading member of Islamic State in Niger. The French army said Boura had been killed by an air strike that took place on December 20. Read also: Central African Republic: United States …
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