C’s a strong announcement made by Emmanuel Macron during his greetings to the armies in Brest, this Tuesday, January 19. France is preparing to “adjust its effort” in the Sahel, where the anti-jihadist force Barkhane is deployed, thanks to the “results obtained” and “the greater intervention of our European partners”, said the head of the State. “The results obtained by our forces in the Sahel, combined with the greater intervention of our European partners, will allow us to adjust our military effort” in the region, which has 5,100 soldiers and where France is carrying out its biggest operation outdoor since 2013. Emmanuel Macron did not however provide any details in terms of volume or schedule.
In January 2020, at the Pau summit, the President of the Republic and his counterparts from the G5 Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad) decided to intensify the anti-jihadist fight to stem a spiral of violence. Emmanuel Macron had sent 600 men to reinforce this region as large as Europe. “The temporary reinforcements that I decided to deploy have enabled the Barkhane force to put in great difficulty the terrorist groups which find themselves cornered, reduced to cowardly procedures, which have reached our forces”, bereaved by the recent death of 5 French soldiers in Mali, “but which, I recall, strike first and foremost on civilians, without discrimination,” commented Emmanuel Macron.
To lighten its presence, Paris relies heavily on the deployment of elite European units within the new Takuba force, responsible for accompanying the Malian army in combat. Created at the initiative of Paris, this grouping of special forces which today brings together French, Estonians and Czechs, is the “sign of a growing awareness of the Sahelian issues which are crucial for all of Europe”, claim Emmanuel Macron.
Half of the French no longer support the French intervention in Mali
France must formalize this first wave of withdrawal at a forthcoming summit with the G5 Sahel countries, in February in N’Djamena. But “the course remains unchanged”, assured the Head of State, evoking the objective of “stability” of the Sahel and “victory against the terrorists”. Beyond the reminder of the 600 reinforcements sent in January 2020, the Elysee is tempted to further reduce the strength of the Barkhane force by the presidential election of 2022, have been emphasizing for several weeks corroborating sources at the Agency. France-Presse.
Impatience is mounting in France in the face of this long and costly engagement, which cost the lives of 50 soldiers and struggles to be followed by political effects on the ground. According to a poll published in early January, half of the French (51%) no longer support this intervention in Mali. Only 49% of those questioned are still in favor, against 73% in February 2013 and 58% at the end of 2019.
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