France Commits More Troops to Counterterrorism in Africa
French counterterrorism operations in the western and central Sahel began with Operation Barkhane, which started in 2014. (Wikimedia Commons)
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted heads of state from the countries of the G5 Sahel Group (Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mauritania) in Pau for a summit on increased cooperation for counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel. The summit was partly a response to groups within each country that oppose French involvement. Macron needed each G5 state to request French assistance in order to prove his assistance was necessary and legitimate. During the January 13 meeting, the G5 Sahel Group agreed to consolidate its military command structure with France’s in the region, and France promised to send 220 soldiers to join the 4,500 currently in the Sahel.
From left to right, the G5 Sahel Group countries are Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad. (Wikimedia Commons)
Macron tweeted: “We are at a turning point in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel: we need to clarify the political framework, the methods and the objectives.”
The Sahel is a semi-arid region separating the Sahara Desert and Sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of governmental control in the region has allowed frequent violence to grow largely unchallenged. Groups operating in G5 territory include Al-Qa‘ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a splinter group called the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO). However, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) has become the deadliest group operating in the region, and following the Pau Summit, Macron declared ISGS to be the focus of the coalition’s counterterrorism efforts.
French troops were first deployed to the Sahel in 2014 as a part of a counterterrorism operation called Operation Barkhane. UN Peacekeepers serve under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) alongside the French soldiers. International and regional cooperation has had some success in combating local militant groups.
MINUSMA troops participate in a military parade on Bastille Day 2013 in Paris, France. (Wikimedia Commons)
"Thanks to an engagement by our soldiers and the Barkhane forces, we were able to neutralize 33 terrorists, take one prisoner and free two Malian gendarmes who had been held hostage,” Macron said in December 2019.
However, the operation has faced challenges. In countries such as Mali, local opposition to French presence has limited Macron’s ability to justify further involvement. In addition to anti-French sentiments in the region, counterterrorism efforts must grapple with a lukewarm reception from the U.S.
Cherith Norman Chalet, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Security Council, indicated the United States’ opposition to current levels of MINUSMA funding: “[W]e must recognize that peacekeeping missions are not the answer to growing terrorist threats in Mali.” The lack of support for MINUSMA has made it difficult to maintain troops in the region, and some experts consider UN-brokered dialogues to be the only way to reach peace.