• France's Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly with Général de division (Major General) Frédéric Blachon, commander of Operation Barkhane in N'Djamena, Chad, October 8, 2018. (thedefensepost.com)
  • France is to boost the number of troops deployed to its Operation Barkhane counter-terrorism mission in Africa's Sahel region to 5,100, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Sunday, February 2. (thedefensepost.com)
  • Update February 3 The Armed Forces Ministry on Monday said that nearly 400 more soldiers would gradually deploy in coming weeks, in addition to the 220 troops from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (REP) that have already reinforced Barkhane. (thedefensepost.com)
  • The French military presence in the Sahel began in 2013 with Operation Serval in Mali, and evolved in August 2014 into Operation Barkhane , which has a mandate for counter-terrorism operations across the region. (thedefensepost.com)
  • The new Sahel Coalition will see Barkhane and FCG5S forces operating under joint command. (thedefensepost.com)
  • As a French military plane flew low overhead, General Etienne du Peyroux, the head of France's Operation Barkhane military campaign in Mali, shook hands with the new camp commander and handed him a giant wooden key. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • Nigerien forces and French forces of Operation Barkhane, an anti-insurgent operation, launched a joint operation on June 8, 2021, against armed terrorists and militants along the border region. (dgimagazine.com)
  • On June 11, 2021, both forces tracked down Abou Dardar, in the Liptako region surrounded by three sides from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, during their Barkhane Patrol and joint mission helicopter sweep. (dgimagazine.com)
  • The French Barkhane Force slew the commander in Mali on June 5, 2021. (dgimagazine.com)
  • Though French Government has already announced that it is drawing down Operation Barkhane, an anti-Islamist operation that has been a priority strategy for the French Armed Forces in the Sahel region since 2014. (dgimagazine.com)
  • This drawdown would shift the French military commitment and presence as 5100 soldiers under Operation Barkhane would be replaced. (dgimagazine.com)
  • The problems began when the military government ordered the independent French Barkhane counter-terrorism force out of Mali by the end of 2021. (strategypage.com)
  • French soldiers patrol in armoured personnel carriers during the Barkhane operation in northern Burkina Faso in 2019. (theconversation.com)
  • The so-called Barkhane force is also involved in Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. (alarabiya.net)
  • French troops have been forced to abandon what Paris calls its Barkhane operation to fight against jihadists in the Sahel, which has been going on for a decade. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • Since the founding of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in 2008 and the creation of Operation Barkhane and the G5 Sahel groups by the French government, the overall security atmosphere in Africa has deteriorated. (blackagendareport.com)
  • FILE - A light armored vehicle (LAV) of the French force of the counter-terrorism Barkhane mission in Africa's Sahel region Barkhane is parked at the roadside crossing of the town of Gossi, center Mali, March 25, 2019. (voanews.com)
  • The accusations come as public distrust in France is growing over the presence of 5,000 of its troops in the French-led anti-insurgent force known as Operation Barkhane in Mali. (voanews.com)
  • With these accusations, Trinquand says the support for the Barkhane force is at stake as France is presented as violating human rights. (voanews.com)
  • July 11 - 12 - Protesters in Bamako clash with security forces, who reportedly fired live rounds at the protesters. (wikipedia.org)
  • August 18 - 2020 Malian coup d'état Soldiers at a base in Kati, Mali mutinied, detaining several civilian and military officials, sparking protests in nearby Bamako. (wikipedia.org)
  • Fabius, on a visit to Bamako, the capital, said Paris is moving ahead with plans to reduce its 4,000-strong military force beginning next month, but will maintain a combat presence in Mali to support a future UN "peacekeeping" mission. (countervortex.org)
  • Hundreds of supporters of Mali's M5 opposition movement have gathered in the capital Bamako to show support to the military days after Mali underwent a second coup. (aljazeera.com)
  • The operation will continue," a senior military source in Bamako said.Earlier Friday, Hollande vowed to stop the advance of al-Qaeda linked rebels who control northern Mali and have headed south in recent days.In a speech to France's diplomatic corps, the leader said he was ready to respond to Mali's call for help.France "is prepared to stop the terrorist offensive," Hollande said. (rt.com)
  • French soldiers prepare their ammunitions at the military airbase in Bamako, before their deployment as part of the 'Serval' operation against Islamists occupying northern Mali, January 16, 2013. (voanews.com)
  • French forces intervened in Mali 10 days ago, amid fears that militants who control northern Mali were pushing toward the capital, Bamako. (voanews.com)
  • French soldiers look at a Canadian Air Force C-17 transport plane which carries French army equipment at the airport in Bamako January 22, 2013. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • National Museum of Mali: Located in Bamako, this museum has an extensive collection of Malian art and artifacts. (trackstick.com)
  • Bamako Artisan Market: A bustling market filled with colorful textiles, jewelry, pottery, wood carvings and other handicrafts from across Mali. (trackstick.com)
  • This file photo taken on January 15, 2013 shows Malian people waving to French soldiers as a convoy of armoured vehicles leave Bamako and start a deployment to the north of Mali as part of the "Serval" operations. (alarabiya.net)
  • BAMAKO, June 19 ( Xinhua ) -- Two people were killed and two others injured in a terrorist attack at a Mali tourist resort on Sunday, government security officials said. (xinhuanet.com)
  • France intervened in its former West African colony on January 11 at the request of the Mali government to halt the Islamists' push southward toward the capital, Bamako. (rferl.org)
  • French media reports said special forces were fighting alongside the Malian Army against the rebels in Diabaly, some 300 kilometers north of Bamako. (rferl.org)
  • BAMAKO, Mali (AP) - Three U.N. peacekeepers from Chad have been killed in northern Mali after a roadside bomb exploded as the men approached on foot and several others were seriously wounded, officials said Monday. (woodtv.com)
  • Objectif: Etudier la relation entre l'exposition professionnelle aux D3E et la survenue des problèmes respiratoires à Bamako en 2019. (bvsalud.org)
  • Matériel et Méthodes : Il s'agissait d'une étude transversale, analytique de 6 mois, menée dans la ville de Bamako en 2019 et concernait 159 manipulateurs de D3E. (bvsalud.org)
  • Former French President Francois Hollande declared the start of France's military intervention in Mali on February 2, 2013, in Timbuktu. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • France's new anti-fake news service Viginum has been allocated €4m to procure technology and hire 25 additional staff in signs which suggest the service is poised to work more closely with the French intelligence community. (intelligenceonline.com)
  • Meanwhile, France's Foreign Ministry has issued a travel alert for Mali, advising its residents to leave the country. (rt.com)
  • It criticises militants in Mali for implementing Islamic law too quickly and predicts France's intervention. (bbc.com)
  • Media like Politico blame France's retreat on Russian disinformation and warn of a domino effect in other French outposts, such as Niger and the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • The junta pushed out France's anti-jihadist force in 2022 and the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA in 2023. (modernghana.com)
  • It said the raid, which also left two foreigners dead, was in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali. (rferl.org)
  • France's president has received a major prize from the United Nations' cultural organisation for his decision to send troops to Mali in January. (abovetopsecret.com)
  • France's embassy in Mali also submitted comments on the investigation's preliminary findings. (voanews.com)
  • France's decision to move its forces to neighboring Niger came after relations sharply deteriorated with Mali's junta leader, Col. Assimi Goita, who seized power in an August 2020 coup. (woodtv.com)
  • Officially launched in July 2021, Viginum counters foreign influence operations, a goal that is now a priority for the French government. (intelligenceonline.com)
  • French Armed Forces claim to have arrested Dadi Ould Chouaib, aka Abou Darar, in the Sahara, on June 11, 2021, in Mali. (dgimagazine.com)
  • The President further said that the government would decide the total number of French troops to be present in Mali by late June 2021. (dgimagazine.com)
  • Mali's military rulers, who consolidated power over coups in 2020 and 2021, severed ties with former colonial power France and kicked out its troops. (theepochtimes.com)
  • Gold is also used to pay the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries that were hired by the Mali military government in 2021 to train Mali troops, especially in the use of weapons purchased from Russia. (strategypage.com)
  • The government forced the French and G5 peacekeepers out by the end of 2021. (strategypage.com)
  • French soldiers who wrapped up a four-month tour of duty in the Sahel board a U.S. Air Force C-130 transport plane, leave their base in Gao, Mali on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. (ksfr.org)
  • A video grab made available on March 30, 2021 shows aerial images of the area around the village of Bounti in central Mali, shot in late Jan. 2021 by the fact-finding mission of the Human Rights Division of the UN mission in Mali. (voanews.com)
  • FILE - French Defense Minister Florence Parly, wearing a protective face mask, leaves after a weekly Cabinet meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on March 31, 2021. (voanews.com)
  • Earlier this year, France stated that it would withdraw over 2,000 troops from the Sahel region by early 2022, focused its military efforts on neutralising insurgent operations and bolstering and training local militaries. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • In 2022, the French force "Parkane" left Mali, leaving behind a vacuum in which the jihadists have sunk, according to various observers and experts. (balkantravellers.com)
  • Bin Laden's successor as emir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was forced deeper into seclusion and was killed on July 31, 2022, by two Hellfire missiles launched in a CIA drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. (heritage.org)
  • In response, ECOWAS in early 2022 imposed heavy sanctions on Mali, severely affecting the poor and landlocked country. (modernghana.com)
  • Roughly 4,700 French troops are currently deployed, and they focus activity in insurgent-hit Mali , Niger and Burkina Faso , working alongside local troops and other international operations, including the FCG5S and the United Nations stabilization mission in Mali, MINUSMA . (thedefensepost.com)
  • UN for the Stabilization of Mali The mission (MINUSMA) has already withdrawn from two bases near Timbuktu: Ber and Koundam, handing over the posts to Malian authorities. (balkantravellers.com)
  • According to a statement by the UN Minusma Force, the gunmen who cut the hands and feet of three people out of legal order might be from ISGS. (dgimagazine.com)
  • The clash near Aguelhok occurred early on Sunday following an attack by assailants in many armed vehicles, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said in a statement. (jpost.com)
  • What happened in the village of Bounti in central Mali on January third remains a question that is at the heart of a dispute between France and the U.N. peacekeeping mission to Mali, MINUSMA. (voanews.com)
  • A team from the U.N. mission to Mali, known as MINUSMA, is assisting the Malian authorities at the request of that country's government, spokeswoman Radhia Achouri said. (cnn.com)
  • The departure of French personnel from Timbuktu is the latest indicator that the former colonial power is lowering its presence in northern Mali, nearly nine years after a military incursion that helped beat back fighters who had taken control of portions of the country. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • The French military emphasised in a statement that the Malian military maintains "a substantial garrison in Timbuktu," in addition to approximately 2,200 UN peacekeepers stationed there on a permanent basis. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • Two missiles were fired "Terrorists" attacked "Timbuktu City Center" And an 11-year-old girl was killed, a local elected official told Agence France-Presse (AFP), while a 4-year-old child was among the injured. (balkantravellers.com)
  • DAKAR-Terrorists in Mali began a blockade of Timbuktu by cutting road access in August and then shut off river and air routes in an offensive that has put the city once again on the front line of a terrorist insurgency. (theepochtimes.com)
  • The document was found by journalists in Timbuktu, northern Mali. (bbc.com)
  • One witness who described the attacks, Timbuktu native Abdoulaye Cisse, said that "The force of the explosion was so strong that the wall and the gate of the camp were razed, and another house fell in the city because of the earthquake caused by the explosion. (webpronews.com)
  • French Foreign Legion paradrop over Timbuktu, Mali. (theaviationist.com)
  • Clashes continued for three days, raising doubts about French claims that the insurgents had been driven from the cities and towns of Konna, Gao, Sevare, Timbuktu and other areas. (workers.org)
  • The source for the story, which inflamed passions across Mali, Africa and the world, was supposedly the former mayor of Timbuktu, Halle Ousmane Cisse. (workers.org)
  • Mali's former colonial ruler has thousands of troops stationed in the Sahel to help fight armed groups after violence erupted in Mali in 2012 and now threatens the region. (aljazeera.com)
  • Nigeria and Senegal are also providing assistance to Malian government forces.Until now, France and other EU nations have limited their plans for assistance, offering only training and logistics to support Mali's army. (rt.com)
  • Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, stressed in an interview with RT that there is a lot of US and French involvement in the crisis.He noted that Mali's interim president, Dioncounda Traore, has close ties with the United States and was installed by US-trained Captain Amadou Sanogo, who led last year's coup d'état. (rt.com)
  • France is Mali's former colonial ruler and still has economic and political interests there. (voanews.com)
  • French forces spearheaded the expulsion of the Islamists from Mali's main towns early this year. (bbc.com)
  • Mali Elephant Project: A conservation project that aims to protect endangered elephants in Mali's Gourma region through community-based initiatives. (trackstick.com)
  • Fily Dabo Sissoko founded the Union Nationale des Travailleurs du Mali (UNTM), a powerful trade union that played a key role in Mali's struggle for independence from France at this location. (trackstick.com)
  • French Marine Special Operation Forces trained Mali's soldiers under the Task Force Takuba mission. (theconversation.com)
  • Announcing the move during a Thursday news conference in Paris, Macron accused Mali's ruling military junta of neglecting the fight against extremists and said it was logical for France to withdraw since its role is not to replace a sovereign state on the battlefield. (alarabiya.net)
  • This is a major effort for the French Armed Forces: most of the reinforcements will be deployed in the so-called "three borders" zone between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger," Parly said. (thedefensepost.com)
  • Parly noted that Chad "should soon be deploying an additional battalion" in the tri-border zone within the regional G5 Sahel Joint Force (FCG5S ), which also includes troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania. (thedefensepost.com)
  • On January 13, Macron and the leaders of the G5 Sahel states announced a new Coalition for the Sahel which will see increased coordination between French and local forces focused on the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border zone and targeting Islamic State as a priority. (thedefensepost.com)
  • Abu Dardar is one of the senior and high-ranking members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), a famous Mali and Niger-based militant group formed in May 2015, following the ideology of Salafi Jihadism. (dgimagazine.com)
  • This group operates along the Mali-Niger border. (dgimagazine.com)
  • Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. (dgimagazine.com)
  • Mali, run by a junta that has spurned the support of U.N. and French forces, is experiencing a meltdown, and the violence risks adding to instability across West Africa's Sahel, a region already reeling from military coups in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. (theepochtimes.com)
  • But the terrorists have regrouped and waged a new campaign that has killed thousands and displaced millions in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, a band of countries on the edge of the Sahara. (theepochtimes.com)
  • France said last week it would pull out troops from Niger. (theepochtimes.com)
  • Troops from Nigeria, Togo, Niger and Benin are also in Mali as part of an African intervention force. (voanews.com)
  • US Army Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha Soldiers in 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) train Senegal Soldiers on how to clear a room in a glass house during the Flintlock 2018 military exercise in Tahoua, Niger, April 13, 2018. (cnn.com)
  • NIAMEY, Niger -- US Air Force Maj. (cnn.com)
  • Nigerien Armed Forces conduct a key leader engagement training with 20th Special Forces Group in Niger on April 16, 2018. (cnn.com)
  • But one witness, former Canadian and UN diplomat Robert Fowler - who was kidnapped in Niger in 2008 by Islamists from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and held in northern Mali for four months - argued the choices are not between sending thousands of combat troops or nothing. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • 1) The need for more ISR platforms: The French Air Force operates three Harfang drones, two of those are deployed in Niger. (theaviationist.com)
  • APA - Niamey (Niger) In Niger, France has begun talks to withdraw its military forces after initially refusing to submit to the junta's demands. (apanews.net)
  • After refusing to recognize the junta in Niger, France has entered into negotiations with the ruling military to withdraw its forces from the country. (apanews.net)
  • Given that the current authorities - even if not recognized by Paris - seem to be in a position to obtain a transition period of at least several months from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and that the junta has denounced the defense and cooperation agreements with France, it seemed clear that the future of the French forces in Niger was sealed in the short term. (apanews.net)
  • Contacts have never really been broken off at operational level, but they have recently intensified between the commander of the French forces in the Sahel, General Bruno Baratz, and the chief of staff of the Niger army, Moussa Salaou Barmou. (apanews.net)
  • It is located on the banks of Niger River and is considered one of the oldest cities in Mali. (trackstick.com)
  • Macron said the "heart" of the French operation "won't be in Mali anymore" but in neighboring Niger, especially in the region bordering Burkina Faso, Macron detailed. (alarabiya.net)
  • Using bases in southern Libya Al Mourabitoun carries out operations in Mali and Niger. (strategypage.com)
  • It was also revealed that one of the two known attackers who were killed inside the hotel carried a piece of paper with the names of two al Mourabitoun men who are in prison (one in Mali and one in Niger). (strategypage.com)
  • President Emmanuel Macron and the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces General François Lecointre "took the decision to increase the number of troops deployed in the Sahel-Saharan strip to about 5,100, an increase of 600 soldiers," Parly said in a statement . (thedefensepost.com)
  • Around 200 additional troops had already deployed to the region last month, but Lecointre said on January 22 that he was asking Macron for further French reinforcements accompanied by "additional logistical and intelligence" support. (thedefensepost.com)
  • Under President Emmanuel Macron, French recently adopted a policy of increased efforts to target the leaders of militants and terrorist groups in the Same region. (dgimagazine.com)
  • President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France will withdraw its troops from Mali nine years after it first intervened to drive extremists from power but intends to maintain a military presence in neighboring West African nations. (alarabiya.net)
  • Macron said the French pullout would be done "in an orderly manner" in coordination with the Malian military. (alarabiya.net)
  • Speaking alongside Macron, Sall said he understood the decisions by France and the EU to end their operation in Mali but was pleased that an agreement on a new arrangement was reached to provide a continued presence in the Sahel. (alarabiya.net)
  • Macron said support for civilians in Mali would continue, but he blamed the junta now ruling the country for its decision to hire a private Russian military contractor known as the Wagner Group, which the EU accuses of fomenting violence and committing human rights abuses in Africa. (alarabiya.net)
  • Following his election in 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to reset relations with francophone Africa based on a "partnership of equals. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • President Emmanuel Macron says France will withdraw its troops from Mali but maintain a military presence in neighboring West African nations. (ksfr.org)
  • Abou Dardar used to be a member of another militant Islamist organization, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA), also called Movement to pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest (MUJAO) by the French government and military. (dgimagazine.com)
  • I do believe that both France and the United States have long-term plans for military intervention in Africa. (rt.com)
  • VOA French to Africa correspondent Idrissa Fall is in Sevare, close to the fighting in central Mali. (voanews.com)
  • US Air Force Col. Craig Miller, an officer in Special Operations Command Africa, told CNN. (cnn.com)
  • Mali currently produces over 50 tons of gold a year, which makes it the third largest gold producer in Africa. (strategypage.com)
  • Experienced Mali-watchers were perplexed by the sudden military lurch southwards made by the Malian Islamist groups, Ansar Dine and Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao), which prompted the French response. (bbc.com)
  • In an interview with APA, Florent Geel, a mediator in armed conflicts and former Africa Director of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), analyzes the negotiations underway between Paris and Niamey to define the contours of this departure and its consequences for the countries of the Sahel and their relations with France. (apanews.net)
  • Ségou is a city situated in the southern region of Mali, West Africa. (trackstick.com)
  • El Hadj Umar Tall defeated French forces in 1861 during his jihad to establish an Islamic state in West Africa at this site. (trackstick.com)
  • The conflict in Mali has raised concerns of an Islamist radicalization across West Africa, with Islamists threatening to take revenge for the French intervention. (rferl.org)
  • The organization has also been active across Africa in recent years - Libya, Sudan, Mozambique, Mali and the Central African Republic. (wunc.org)
  • The Associated Press said that the attack in Gao, a city of 90,000 people, "foreshadows a protracted campaign by France and other nations to restore government control in this vast Saharan nation in northwest Africa. (workers.org)
  • Anti-war and anti-imperialist forces within Africa and the capitalist states must organize to oppose military interventions throughout the continent and in other parts of the world. (workers.org)
  • December 29 - Three French soldiers are killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mopti Region. (wikipedia.org)
  • At a military base where a garrison of roughly 150 soldiers had remained after France began withdrawing troops, the French flag was down and the Malian flag was raised in its place on Tuesday. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • Reports from the area say armored vehicles carrying French and Malian soldiers entered the town with no resistance, after days of French airstrikes. (voanews.com)
  • The extremists seized control of northern Mali after renegade soldiers toppled the government in March, leaving a temporary power vacuum. (voanews.com)
  • The French authorities could not afford to leave their forces under threat of a possible blockade of French bases (rotations, supplies, traffic) or demonstrations in which French soldiers would be taken to task, risking an incident that could exacerbate tensions. (apanews.net)
  • Soldiers from the French Army in Mali. (theconversation.com)
  • Mauritanian soldiers stand guard at a G5 Sahel task force command post, in November 2018 in the southeast of Mauritania near the border with Mali. (theconversation.com)
  • In this February 10, 2013 file photo, French soldiers secure the area where a suicide bomber attacked, at the entrance of Gao, northern Mali. (alarabiya.net)
  • The study population involved soldiers of various Elite Units of the Armed Forces of Mali who came for consultation in the odontology service. (bvsalud.org)
  • French forces brought their support this afternoon to Malian army units to fight against terrorist elements," French President Francois Hollande said in a statement. (rt.com)
  • In comments to French media on January 16, French President Francois Hollande said one of the goals of the Mali intervention was to deter such hostage-takings. (rferl.org)
  • Regrettably, there were no survivors," said French President Francois Hollande. (cnn.com)
  • Wreckage of Air Algerie Flight 5017 was secured by French forces in northern Mali, not far from the border with Burkina Faso, according to French President Francois Hollande. (cnn.com)
  • France has declared a three-day mourning period to commemorate the victims of the Air Algerie Flight 5017 crash, French President Francois Hollande declared on Saturday. (cnn.com)
  • Azikiwe believes that Paris and Washington are using the involvement of radical Islamist groups in the rebellion as a pretext for military intervention in Mali. (rt.com)
  • French and Malian troops have retaken the town of Diabaly in central Mali from Islamist militants. (voanews.com)
  • On Sunday, Le Drian said France will accept nothing less than the 'total reconquest' of Mali from Islamist militants. (voanews.com)
  • Mr Droukdel also predicts a Western military intervention against the Islamist project in Mali. (bbc.com)
  • The criticism of subordinates in the Islamist movement by Mr Droukdel appears to indicate that he thinks some of the groups operating in northern Mali were hotheads who needed to be reigned in and adopt a more softly-softly approach if the ultimate aim of a jihadist state was to be achieved. (bbc.com)
  • An al Qaeda-linked Islamist group in Mali has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 10 UN peacekeepers from Chad on Sunday. (jpost.com)
  • French troops have reportedly engaged in street battles against Islamist rebels in the town of Diabaly in central Mali. (rferl.org)
  • She also acknowledged last week's announcement that the Czech Republic intends to send 60 troops to join the new France-led special operations Task Force Takuba in the Sahel. (thedefensepost.com)
  • France has for months been trying to build support for Takuba. (thedefensepost.com)
  • The Czech Republic is only the second country to publicly say it intends to to join the new task force, after Estonia said in November that it would deploy troops to Takuba . (thedefensepost.com)
  • European leaders simultaneously announced Thursday that troops from the European-led military task force known as Takuba also would withdraw from Mali. (alarabiya.net)
  • The Takuba task force is composed of several hundred special forces troops from about a dozen European countries, including France. (alarabiya.net)
  • On Sunday, he described the town as being in a 'state of war' with streets overrun by French and Malian military forces while empty of civilians. (voanews.com)
  • Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny said Kyiv does not plan "any offensive operations or shelling of civilians in Donbas. (turkishpress.com)
  • Armed opposition groups which claim to be allied with al-Qaeda and ISIS, both of which have their origins within U.S. counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, are carrying out attacks on civilians and military personnel at an increasing rate in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, among other states. (blackagendareport.com)
  • France is rejecting a U.N. report that said a French air strike in central Mali in January killed 19 civilians as part of anti-terrorist operations in the Sahel. (voanews.com)
  • Earlier this week, a U.N. investigation concluded that a wedding celebration was hit by the French airstrike that killed the civilians and three armed men, allegedly jihadist members of the Katiba Serma militant group. (voanews.com)
  • France has proposed, to the United Nations and to the Malian government, a French support force of 1,000 men, which would be permanent, based in Mali and equipped to fight terrorism," Fabius said. (countervortex.org)
  • Since the United Nations began winding down its peacekeeping mission in July, al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists started an offensive in central Mali, fighting has resumed between the army and Tuareg rebels from the north, and, in the east, ISIS terrorist group-allied extremists have continued to carry out attacks. (theepochtimes.com)
  • In June, it ordered the 13,000-strong force deployed by the United Nations to leave. (theepochtimes.com)
  • The peacekeepers were killed and at least 25 were wounded while repelling an attack by armed assailants near a village in northern Mali on Sunday, the West African nation's UN mission and the United Nations said. (jpost.com)
  • The Secretary-General reaffirms that such acts will not diminish the resolve of the United Nations to continue supporting the people and Government of Mali in their efforts to build peace and stability in the country,' it said. (jpost.com)
  • General Dominique Trinquand, former head of the French military mission with the United Nations, echoes these doubts. (voanews.com)
  • Their deaths come just one day before the U.N. Security Council is holding a meeting on the mission in Mali, which was the United Nations' most dangerous even before the French military pulled its remaining troops from the country in August. (woodtv.com)
  • Parly said in November that France expected the new force to deploy in Mali by 2020 . (thedefensepost.com)
  • From July 14-17, 2020, a workshop on gender and social inclusion was held in Mali as part of the capacity building of teachers and managers from the FORCE * project partner schools. (kit.nl)
  • Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird warned against getting involved in "another Afghanistan," expressing deep skepticism about a military intervention in Mali and about the West African nation's army and government. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • Hollande wins Unesco peace prize for Mali intervention, Yet the unrest continues. (abovetopsecret.com)
  • Hollande Today had won the Unesco peace prize for Mali intervention yes thats right an Unesco peace prize for an military intervention in the north of Mali. (abovetopsecret.com)
  • In other terms his an French puppet of course he would phrase the french intervention he lived in French. (abovetopsecret.com)
  • At the same Hollande whom won the prize he claimed success after the intervention but in truth once you intervene the Isamists arent defeated they just regroup and attack later as the regroup there members and fighters so for Hollande to win the Unesco peace prize for Mali intervention, cant be taken serious. (abovetopsecret.com)
  • Since Jan. 11, when France launched bombing attacks and a ground invasion into the resource-rich African country of Mali, Paris has declared that the intervention in its former colony is limited and that it will leave in April, after the establishment of a regional force from the Economic Community of West African States. (workers.org)
  • The coup opened the door to French intervention. (workers.org)
  • The document, published by a French newspaper, is said to contain advice by the head of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abdel Malek Droukdel. (bbc.com)
  • In the document, versions of which were earlier published by Associated Press news agency and French radio station RFI, Mr Droukdel warns his subordinates not to implement Islamic law too quickly. (bbc.com)
  • Iranian security forces are reported to have escalated their actions against the families of protesters killed during widespread protests last year as the government continues to try and put a lid on unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since the 1979 revolution. (rferl.org)
  • Although most Malians are Moslem, few want anything to do with Islamic terrorism and Boko Haram is seen as a major mistake and not welcome at all in Mali. (strategypage.com)
  • The local squabbles also interfere with the peacekeepers and French counter-terror forces, which also aids the Islamic terrorists and smugglers. (strategypage.com)
  • A French-led military operation forced the Islamic extremists from power in the towns of northern Mali back in 2013. (woodtv.com)
  • But in the summer of 2011, an African Union force finally pushed the Islamic militants known as al-Shabab out of the capital, and since then both people and money have poured in. (foreignpolicy.com)
  • In Mali, fighting began in August between the army and an ethnic Tuareg group called the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) around a base vacated by the U.N. Since then, CMA has attacked other Malian army bases, some hundreds of miles apart. (theepochtimes.com)
  • The advice and instructions, said to be given by the Algerian Mr Droukdel, revealed in the Liberation paper, are dated 20 July 2012 - four months after a loose coalition of al-Qaeda-affiliated groups and ethnic Tuareg fighters took control of northern Mali. (bbc.com)
  • French forces intervened in Mali in 2013 to drive back fighters who had hijacked a Tuareg uprising a year earlier, and some 4,000 French troops remain there. (jpost.com)
  • the same Tuareg tribe that was forced by the French and America out of there own homes in Libya? (abovetopsecret.com)
  • Beginning in 2017, the FAMAS was replaced in most frontline units in the French Army by the HK416F , and the FAMAS is expected to remain in limited service until 2028. (wikipedia.org)
  • [1] When production problems delayed the general issue of the new rifles, and with the 1978 Battle of Kolwezi showing an immediate need for a more modern weapon to stand on equal terms with assault rifles armed enemy forces, the French Army began searching for an emergency temporary rifle until the FAMAS came into full production. (wikipedia.org)
  • The French Army unloads vehicles from a cargo plane in N'djamena, Mali, on January 14. (rferl.org)
  • However, several thousand troops from various African states, including Chad and Nigeria as well as the national army of Mali, have already entered the battle alongside France. (workers.org)
  • Moreover, a venue for "Army forces [to] engage regionally to ensure interoperability, build relationships based on common interests, enhance situational awareness, assure partners, and deter adversaries" is as important as developing new weapon systems. (smallwarsjournal.com)
  • On Friday France began air strikes against the rebels. (rt.com)
  • It comes just one day after Hollande's Malian counterpart, Dioncounda Traore, sought help from France in order to stem the rebels' advance. (rt.com)
  • You need many more UAVs to look for rebels, track suspicious activity and support convoys/special ops across large territories as Central and North Mali. (theaviationist.com)
  • The minister explained that the military operation launched by France with another group of countries against the rebels "is in line with UN Security Council resolution 2085 of 20 December last" that followed Malian President Traoré's plea for help. (esteri.it)
  • He rejected comparisons to the operation against al-Qaeda-linked rebels in Mali, where France still has 2,800 troops. (newser.com)
  • One widely publicized report from the north of Mali claimed that the Ahmed Baba Institute, which houses thousands of manuscripts from the ancient kingdom founded during the 13th century, had been burned to the ground by retreating "al-Qaeda linked rebels. (workers.org)
  • Offering a firm rebuke on Thursday, France also said it would suspend joint military operations with Malian forces and would stop advising the Malian military. (aljazeera.com)
  • These attack helicopters will provide significant edge in any future joint operations in support of land forces. (defensedaily.com)
  • The fact that the French Air Force is flying the Mirage F1CR in theater helps containing the cost of prolonged operations abroad. (theaviationist.com)
  • French fighter jets have also been carrying out bombing operations in the northeast mountainous region of Adrar des Ifoghas, ostensibly to destroy the bases of the fighters and disrupt their supply lines. (workers.org)
  • The two leaders will meet in Paris on Wednesday, a French diplomatic source told Reuters.The UN Security Council has also called for a 'swift deployment' of foreign troops to Mali. (rt.com)
  • In Paris Monday, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said French and Malian forces have also retaken the town of Douentza. (voanews.com)
  • However, Paris has been careful to imply that the current discussions are taking place between the military leaders of the two countries' armed forces. (apanews.net)
  • He studied banking at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, and later economics and politics at the University of Orléans in France and at Paris Dauphine University, where he completed a doctorate in economics in 1976. (abovetopsecret.com)
  • He also cited a dispute with French company Idemia, which the junta says is involved in the census process. (modernghana.com)
  • Those clients are known to range from the junta governing Mali to Syrian President Bashar Assad. (wunc.org)
  • French forces and UN peacekeepers stationed in northern Mali responded immediately and set up a defensive perimeter. (webpronews.com)
  • While a West African force is now arriving in Mali, it won't be able to do the job of cutting Islamists down to size - and France and its "militarily capable" allies must do that, he argued. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • A 'manifesto' left by Islamists in Mali indicates that disagreements between them may have led to their defeat - so far - on the battlefield. (bbc.com)
  • These observers said it was most unlikely the Islamists could ever control the whole of Mali - and that they should have been aware of this. (bbc.com)
  • The Mali-watchers pointed out that while northern Mali is sparsely populated and contains some groups sympathetic with Islamists or the ethnic Tuaregs, the same cannot be said of the south, where most people oppose the radicals and separatists. (bbc.com)
  • The threat to the Severe airbase, the biggest in central Mali, appears to have been what made the French move - and defeat the Islamists, so far, in the main towns and cities of the north. (bbc.com)
  • Of course, it is possible there were also other sparks to the war between the French and the Islamists. (bbc.com)
  • October 5 - Over 100 jihadists were released as part of negotiations to secure the release of Soumaïla Cissé and French aid worker Sophie Pétronin. (wikipedia.org)
  • October 9 - Swiss government confirmed that Swiss Christian missionary Béatrice Stöckli was killed in Mali by jihadists. (wikipedia.org)
  • In Mali there was an attack of jihadists, terrorists who wanted to transform Mali into a terrorist state. (newser.com)
  • Abdel Fatau Musah, external relations director for the Economic Community of West African States, told VOA Monday that the international community needs to provide financial and logistical support for ECOWAS forces. (voanews.com)
  • Both the NDP and the Liberals agreed with Mr. Fowler that Canada should provide some funding for African forces in Mali, as well as training and more logistical support, such as transport and equipment. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • Italy is ready to offer logistical support to the operation" in Mali. (esteri.it)
  • Logistical support will be air-based, and not land-based, and include links with the French forces, Di Paola went on to explain. (esteri.it)
  • Jeff Steinberg, senior editor of the Executive Intelligence Review, believes France should be blamed for the unrest in the African country, linking the rebellion in the northern Mali to the fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. (rt.com)
  • As happened in Libya , the Mali air war will probably reaffirm the need for low-cost/cheaper combat planes: the Rafale is a multirole aircraft that can carry a wide variety of weapons and pods, including a reconnaissance pod. (theaviationist.com)
  • The In Amenas gas facility is more than 1,000 kilometers from the border with Mali, but near the border with Libya. (rferl.org)
  • The site was sealed off by Mali security forces supported by French troops who had arrived at the scene in response to the attack. (xinhuanet.com)
  • August 21 - A report attributed to unidentified sources in the Malian Armed Forces claims that Colonels Malick Diaw and Sadio Camara received training in Russia just a week before the coup. (wikipedia.org)
  • A defense ministry spokesperson told The Defense Post then that special forces will deploy to Mali in the second half of the year and that force will "assist, advise and accompany" the Malian Armed Forces. (thedefensepost.com)
  • More than 14,000 Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) personnel have been trained since the mission was established in February 2013. (thedefensepost.com)
  • The negotiations between the Nigerien and French authorities on the terms and conditions for the withdrawal of the French armed forces stationed in the country had been unavoidable for several weeks. (apanews.net)
  • Three out of four light bulbs in France are powered by Nigerien uranium. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • The military latest seizure of power has sparked diplomatic uproar, prompting the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to suspend Mali. (aljazeera.com)
  • Furthermore, Operation Serval (a relatively small campaign) had to rely on the help of foreign countries that dispatched their airlifters to help the French moving equipment and personnel to Mali. (theaviationist.com)
  • France will send 1,000 troops to the Central African Republic to keep growing chaos at bay, the defense minister says, announcing his country's second military foray into a troubled former colony this year. (newser.com)
  • The French said they had taken the airstrip in the town of Tessalit on Feb. 8 and that it will be used to back up 1,000 Chadian troops who are being deployed in the mountains. (workers.org)
  • In remarks this week, French Defense Minister Florence Parly stood by her forces. (voanews.com)
  • Mali has been engulfed in a conflict that began as a separatist movement in the country's north in 2012, but has since degraded into a slew of armed factions vying for power in the country's central and northern regions. (newsinvasion24.com)
  • Tensions have grown between Mali, its African neighbors and the EU, especially after the West African country's transitional government allowed Russian mercenaries to deploy in its territory. (alarabiya.net)
  • Our experts assists the Malians and the French in the search of the site, collecting bodies, providing body bags and in securing the site aiming to speed up the work," said Achouri. (cnn.com)
  • The French defense minister also cast doubt on the U.N. probe's methodology, claiming the investigation was based on unreliable sources. (voanews.com)
  • The U.S. government has called Wagner a "proxy force" of Russia's defense ministry. (wunc.org)
  • [i] " The framework consists of integrating U.S. and European partners during high intensity conflict scenarios including movement to contact, preparing for defense, and the decisive attack all while simultaneously being confronted by conventional and nonconventional forces. (smallwarsjournal.com)
  • The objective of this study was to evaluate the oral hygiene of elite units of the defense and security forces of Mali. (bvsalud.org)
  • US Navy Seals advise local Somali security forces battling al Shabaab while the Trump administration has also conducted dozens of targeted airstrikes against the group. (cnn.com)
  • More than 650 people have died in conflict in Mali in the two months since the U.N. began pulling out, a more than 40 percent rise over the previous two months, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. (theepochtimes.com)
  • India will have no difficulty absorbing the helicopters and support equipment into its armed forces. (defensedaily.com)
  • A West African regional force is also expected to deploy under a UN Security Council resolution. (rferl.org)
  • Another part of these reinforcements will be committed directly to the G5 Sahel forces to accompany them in combat," she added. (thedefensepost.com)
  • France has thousands of troops in Mali, helping local forces combat JNIM and other extremist groups. (cnn.com)
  • Even if only a few combat planes are involved in the air strikes, the French Air Force is not equipped with a tanker force capable to sustain a limited amount of attack sorties. (theaviationist.com)
  • He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. (theaviationist.com)
  • UN peacekeeping and French forces are stationed in northern Mali to combat well-armed jihadist groups seen as threatening security across Africa's Sahel region. (jpost.com)
  • January 5, 2016: Germany has agreed to send over 600 combat troops to Mali to serve as peacekeepers in the north (near Gao). (strategypage.com)
  • The next day, French combat helicopters bombed the station in an effort to drive them out. (workers.org)
  • Do I think Canadian special forces could be helping French special forces deal with these guys? (theglobeandmail.com)
  • NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar dodged the question of whether he supports sending special forces. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • Mali currently faces heightened activity by jihadist groups and a resumption of hostilities in the north by armed separatist groups. (modernghana.com)
  • Some also believe that the attacks are sponsored by French forces. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • There are over two million Fulani in Mali and FLM became active in early 2015 and has claimed responsibility for several attacks since. (strategypage.com)
  • We are actually in Konna for the jihad [holy war]," spokesman for the Ansar Dine militant group, Sanda Abu Mohammed, told AFP.Ansar Dine and Mujao have controlled most of northern Mali since last April. (rt.com)
  • France itself has acknowledged that it needs West African troops on the ground to make its air force worthwhile. (voanews.com)
  • France has some 800 troops on the ground in Mali but their number is expected to rise to 2,500. (rferl.org)
  • There are about a thousand Wagner personnel in Mali and the Mali military government has no problem paying the mercenaries or for weapons purchased from Russia. (strategypage.com)
  • The military government in Mali hoped that hiring Russian Wagner Group mercenaries would enable Mali to maintain control of northern and central Mali. (strategypage.com)
  • Primarily through the Wagner Group, Moscow has roughly 400 mercenaries in Mali. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • The French government is organising its intelligence services' push against foreign disinformation. (intelligenceonline.com)
  • The Conservatives' political opponents have not directly called for Canadian ground troops to be sent to Mali, and Mr. Baird said the Harper government is still considering whether to fund or provide trainers for a West African force now being deployed, and doesn't know if it will extend the mission of a C-17 cargo plane past Friday. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • This time the NDP and the Liberals pushed for Canada to do more, and the governing Conservatives raised concerns that Mali is a potential morass, with untrustworthy local government - and cited polls showing Canadians at large don't support sending troops. (theglobeandmail.com)
  • The Mali military government is running out of people to blame for the mess they got themselves into. (strategypage.com)
  • Since then, Mali threatened to force the 15,000 UN peacekeepers out of the country unless the UN agreed to give the Mali military government control over what the peacekeepers can do. (strategypage.com)
  • The government is particularly angry at the way the peacekeepers report on atrocities committed by Mali security forces as well as the Russian Wagner Group military contractors. (strategypage.com)
  • Brutality and incompetence by the military is what triggered a 2011 rebellion in the north and it was France that restored government control in the north. (strategypage.com)
  • Mali then held elections and restored democratic government. (strategypage.com)
  • Mali wanted to keep the 13,500 UN peacekeepers that maintains government control over the rebellious north. (strategypage.com)
  • The Mali peacekeeping operation costs about half a billion dollars a month and that is about the only foreign aid Mali gets now that the military government is in control. (strategypage.com)
  • That agreement initially permitted government military forces to return to Kidal, but many of the native Tuaregs remain staunchly opposed to the government efforts. (webpronews.com)
  • The transitional government is determined to change its partners to fight insecurity in Mali - but results will be hard to come by. (theconversation.com)
  • File photo shows a member of security forces stands guard at a car bomb attack site in Gao, Mali, on Jan. 18, 2017. (xinhuanet.com)
  • Representatives from Mali and Burkina Faso coup leaders were not invited since both nations were suspended from the African Union following coups. (alarabiya.net)
  • The Mali and Burkina Faso coup leaders were not invited since both nations were suspended from the African Union. (ksfr.org)
  • Last March 22, a military coup in Mali ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure. (workers.org)
  • France has started withdrawing its troops from Mali: what is it leaving behind? (theconversation.com)
  • Due to the serious deterioration in the security situation in Mali, the threat of attack or abduction is growing," the ministry said. (rt.com)
  • January 12, 2016: Mali officials believe AQIM affiliate al Mourabitoun was mainly responsible for the November hotel attack. (strategypage.com)
  • Investigators met French officials twice in March to discuss the probe. (voanews.com)
  • In the video, Guillaume Ngefa, the head of the U.N. Human Rights and Protection Division in Mali, reassures that the methodology was sound. (voanews.com)
  • The judiciary, the police, the security apparatus, all have collaborated to intimidate us bereaved families,' said Farzaneh Barzekar, whose 21-year-old son was killed by security forces a year ago. (rferl.org)
  • Security forces, bolstered by French troops from nearby Mali, eventually stormed the area, releasing 126 hostages and killing the attackers. (scrippsnews.com)
  • French forces have been active since 2013 in Mali, where they intervened to drive extremists from power. (alarabiya.net)
  • The EU in February announced additional sanctions against Russia's Wagner Group for "human rights abuses" committed in the Central African Republic, Mali, and elsewhere. (nakedcapitalism.com)
  • The skull is the symbol of the Wagner Group - a private Russian mercenary force believed to be financed by an oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. (wunc.org)