Operation Barkhane
A French-led military operation in the Sahel from 2014 to 2022, intended to combat jihadist armed groups and support regional forces.
Operation Serval: A French military intervention in Mali from 2013 to 2014 that halted an advance by Islamist armed groups. Barkhane followed Serval and expanded French operations from Mali across the Sahel.
Mali War: An armed conflict in Mali that began in 2012, involving separatist, jihadist, government, and foreign forces. The conflict created the crisis that prompted France’s intervention and the later Barkhane mission.
François Hollande: President of France from 2012 to 2017, who authorized France’s military intervention in Mali in 2013. Hollande’s government launched the intervention that transitioned into Barkhane.
French withdrawal from Mali: The departure of French forces from Mali, completed in August 2022 after a breakdown in relations with the military government. The withdrawal ended Barkhane’s presence in the country where its operations had been concentrated.
Operation Newcombe: A British military operation in Mali supporting the United Nations peacekeeping mission from 2013 to 2023. Unlike Barkhane’s counterterrorism mission, Newcombe supported UN peacekeeping logistics and operations.
G5 Sahel: A regional organization founded in 2014 by Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. Barkhane supported the G5 Sahel Joint Force as a regional counterterrorism partner.
French intervention in Mali: France’s 2013 military intervention in Mali, launched to stop armed groups advancing toward the south. The intervention’s initial campaign became the basis for Barkhane’s wider regional mission.
Emmanuel Macron: President of France from 2017, whose government announced the end of Barkhane in 2021. Macron set the political course for Barkhane’s transformation and eventual withdrawal.
French military withdrawal from Niger: The departure of French forces from Niger, completed in December 2023 after a military coup and diplomatic rupture. Barkhane’s regional drawdown was followed by the loss of another major French Sahel partner.
Operation EUTM Mali: A European Union mission that trained and advised the Malian armed forces. EUTM Mali emphasized training rather than Barkhane’s direct combat operations.