| The Sahel, which spans the continent from East to West, is a region that is being encroached upon by the sands of the Sahara desert. |
France wants to achieve its ends mainly by defeating jihadists militarily, whereas local leaders want to secure political solutions through talks. Which looks a lot like a replay of old colonial-era dynamics.
June 6.– Operation Barkhane, launched in 2014, formally ended on 9 November 2022. But although France no longer has any troops in Mali, it still has nearly 3,000 military personnel in nearby Niger and Chad – as many as it did eight years ago. Refusing to admit defeat. it 
continues to do battle in the Sahel with ill-defined enemies conveniently labeled ‘terrorists’. This is a war of indefinite duration. Its legal basis is unclear (and never discussed by politicians) and it uses opaque methods that France even plans to extend to neighbouring countries on the Gulf of Guinea.
‘Barkhane 2’, as it is sometimes known, is headquartered in Niger’s capital, Niamey, where France has drones and fighter jets and around 1,200 troops. Most of the military land vehicles have already been shipped back to France but the air component remains in place for surveillance and air strikes.
The remaining troops are stationed at French army bases in Dakar (Senegal), N’Djamena (Chad), and Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). Special forces units were based in Ouagadougou from 2010 until Burkina Faso’s ruling junta ordered them out in late January this year.
France also plans to create military reconnaissance posts, whose locations will vary according to the current threat and strategy adopted to deal with it. French troops have already been sighted in Tanguiéta and Kandi in northern Benin, where jihadist groups have carried out several attacks in the last two years. These soldiers, whose presence is unofficial, are on ‘training’ missions.
The French government and defence staff claim to have learned from past mistakes. So to avoid being seen as an occupation force, French troops will no longer have a frontline role ...
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