previous French interventions on African soil

2023-07-31 16:19:22

The Nigerien junta which overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum accused, on Monday July 31, France of wanting “to intervene militarily” to restore him to his position. The day before, French President Emmanuel Macron had threatened to retaliate “immediately and intractably” to any attack on French nationals and its interests in Niger, where thousands of protesters in favor of the military coup have targeted its embassy in Niamey.

France, which has 1,500 men in Niger, has intervened militarily on African soil nearly forty times since independence. From the 2000s, Paris more or less ceased its solitary interventions and spearheaded operations alongside African, Western or UN troops.

These operations were carried out in the name of the protection of civilian populations, the application of bilateral defense agreements or at the request of African States.

► Barkhane in the Sahel (2014-2022)

In January 2013, France intervened at the request of the Malian authorities to prevent Islamist groups from marching on the capital, Bamako. This operation, which makes it possible to drive back the jihadists out of Mali or to relegate them to the north of the country, takes the name of Serval.

In 2014, France launched Operation Barkhane in partnership with the G5 Sahel, which brings together Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. This operation takes over from Serval and aims to support the Sahelo-Saharan states in the fight against armed terrorist groups affiliated with Al-Qaida or the Islamic State. In this context, France deploys up to 5,100 men for training, logistical aid and air support missions. In November 2022, Paris put an end to the operation and announced its gradual disengagement.

► Sangaris in the Central African Republic (2013-2016)

While the Central African Republic (CAR) was overwhelmed by clashes between militias against a backdrop of ethnic and religious tensions, the UN Security Council authorized in 2013 the deployment of an international mission to support the Central African Republic under African leadership ( misca). This is supported by French forces, sent as part of Operation Sangaris. This is the seventh military intervention by Paris since the independence of the CAR.

Up to 1,600 men are deployed to protect French nationals, keep Bangui international airport operational, the only international access route to the CAR for the delivery of humanitarian aid, and disarm rebel groups. The mission ends in October 2016.

► Harmattan in Libya (2011)

With NATO’s blessing, France intervened alongside the United Kingdom and the United States in 2011 to protect civilian populations against the forces of President Muammar Gaddafi following the outbreak of civil war.

4,200 soldiers, 40 planes, around twenty helicopters and 27 ships from the French Navy are involved in the operation which brings about the fall of the regime, after seven months of air strikes.

► Unicorn in Ivory Coast (2002-2015)

Following the political-military crisis of 2002, during which rebel soldiers attempted to take control of Abidjan, French forces took part in peacekeeping in Côte d’Ivoire. In 2015, after twelve years, the Licorne force was transformed into the French Forces in Côte d’Ivoire, which came to support the troops fighting against jihadist groups in the Sahel.

► Sparrowhawk in Chad (1986-2014)

In the midst of a conflict with Libya over border issues, Chad is asking for help from France. The Épervier device was set up in February 1986 to contribute to the restoration of peace and the maintenance of the territorial integrity of the country. French elements in Chad provide logistical and intelligence support to Chadian forces. The Épervier system ended in August 2014. Here too, Operation Barkhane with the G5 Sahel, of which Chad is a part, took over.

In 2019, however, Paris intervened again, at the request of Chadian President Idriss Déby, to stop an armed offensive on the part of his opponents. French aircraft hit a column coming from Libya. The army did not communicate much about the identity of the victims, at the risk of making France appear as the protector of the Chadian regime.