The end of the French military presence in Mali, a vast project

A helicopter photographed at the French military base in Gao, northern Mali, on November 8, 2019. Michele Cattani AFP / Archivos

Text by: Franck Alexandre

3 mins

While the decision to leave Mali is on the table on the occasion of the Summit between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU), Paris will present the outlines of its future military system in the Sahel.

After eight years of presence, the Barkhane force is therefore preparing to leave its last Malian grips, in particular the very important base of Gao.

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"It's the end of a cycle",

blows a French officer, adding that " 

there will be no more major military operations in Africa, at least not in the near future".

 Barkhane

is therefore preparing to leave behind her last three Malian grips

: the camps of Gossi, Ménaka and of course, Gao.

And it won't be an easy task.

From 6 to 12 months to disengage, knowing that a torrential rainy season could slow down the maneuver.

A departure necessarily by land for armored vehicles such as

Griffons

, VABs and other VBCIs, will reach the ports of the Gulf of Guinea.

Air bridges will also multiply, between Gao, the advanced air base of Niamey and France.

It will also be necessary to sort and recondition the equipment,

“order the maneuver to leave in a clean, synchronized and secure way”,

insists the staff of the armies.

In hollow, we understand that

Barkhane

will not necessarily leave a lot of material to the Malian Armed Forces.

This departure is a logistical challenge

that will require high protection.

The French soldiers sent the message to their Malian counterparts:

“We will be very vigilant about the security of the Force during this disengagement”.

Takuba also leaves Mali

Symbol of a Europe of defense that French President Emmanuel Macron calls for, the European group of special forces

Takuba

, set up by Paris in 2020 to share the security burden, should also leave the country and dissolve.

The departure of the 2,500 soldiers present in Mali will therefore put the French presence in the Sahel back in a situation similar to what it was before 2013. The command post (CP) located in Chad in Ndjamena remains, as well as the planned air base from Niamey.

But the Niamey base is not going to take on any more importance:

"Niamey will not be a point of fixation, so as not to create tensions

 ", say military sources.

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"We are entering a new strategic era",

underlines the French staff in Paris.

Some point out that with the risks of a high intensity war in Europe, it is no longer possible to engage for a decade in major military operations.

"You have to train and support the partner armies, but let them do it, that's the lesson,"

said a French soldier who served in Barkhane, adding

that "it confirms one thing: a foreign army in a foreign country cannot come at the end of an enemy entangled in the population".

Communication will also be one of the axes of effort in the future.

“There is a real subject for explaining France's mission in the Sahel to the populations.

There is a real challenge in communicating quickly and fairly, ”

underline the military authorities.

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