France is reducing its forces and its presence in northern Mali. More generally, the Barkhane force is reorganizing in the region and leaving center stage, leaving more room for the Malian army as well as the European force Takuba.
The departure of the French army from Timbuktu, after Kidal and Tessalit, marks a symbolic turning point: it is in this city, holy city of Islam listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that President François Hollande formalized the start of the French intervention on February 2, 2013.
A few days after the dropping of the French legionaries on the city, placed for eight months under the yoke of jihadist groups, President Hollande and his Malian counterpart at the time, Dioncounda Traoré, were all smiles: the Malian and French armies had liberated the city to the cheers of the population.
Nine years later, the French forces are still present, the jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State have taken blows, but rooted in the population, still threaten.
The evolution of the French military system announced a few months ago by President Emmanuel Macron is proceeding in accordance with the roadmap. The soldiers of Operation Barkhane officially surrendered on December 14, 2021 the last of the three bases they occupied in the North: after Kidal and Tessalit, the French flag ceased to fly on the hold of Timbuktu. “We trained the Malian armed forces in the protection of the right-of-way and in air guidance before they relieved us”, explains Captain Florian, commander of the unit responsible for the disengagement from Timbuktu.
The French workforce will decrease significantly over the coming months. “We were about 5 000 soldiers in the Sahel in the summer of 2021, we will be around 3 000 in the summer of 2022 “, emphasizes to AFP General Laurent Michon, commander of Operation Barkhane. Further reductions will take place by 2023.
Paris will now concentrate its presence in the region known as “Three borders” (Mali, Niger, Burkina), one of the main areas of jihadist influence in the Sahel. And the philosophy of the intervention will change. No more sweeping operations in areas with large reinforcements of infantry, armored vehicles and helicopters: the military rely on partnership with local armies, so that they gain autonomy and can one day assume sole responsibility for the security of the area. .
Spearhead of this new phase, the rise of the European special force Takuba, initiated by Paris to support the Malian units. A political victory for France, which has managed to unite around ten European nations to share the burden in the Sahel.
The reorganization of the French operation is taking place in a highly inflammable security and political context, with the growing exasperation of the population suffering from jihadist violence. A dissatisfaction that General Michon says he understands: “Where Barkhane is on the ground, the people are happy with the security we provide. But some in Mali and other countries do not understand that the French armies are failing to pacify the Sahel. I understand them. But it’s just impossible and it’s not our mission. We have six fighter planes, six drones and 3 000 to 5 000 men for a region the size of Europe. “And to add : “I also note an instrumentalization of this discontent. I am not saying that this is the primary reason but some, in West Africa or further afield, have an interest in stoking anger against French military action.”