Operation Barkhane

Belligerents

France
G5 Sahel

Burkina Faso
Chad
Mali (until August 2022)
Mauritania
Niger

Estonia
Sweden
Czech Republic

Supported by:

Nusrat al-Islam
(2017–2022)

Al-Mourabitoun
(2014–17)

Ansar Dine
(2014–17)

IS-GS
(2015–2022)Commanders and leaders

Former:

Iyad Ag Ghaly

Djamel Okacha †

Mokhtar Belmokhtar †

Abdelmalek Droukdel †

Yahia Djouadi †

Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi †

Oumeya Ould Albakaye (POW)Strength 3,000 troops (since 2022)
5,500 troops (at peak)

95 troops

90 troops
3 heavy lift helicopters

70 troops
2 heavy lift helicopters

150 troops
3 medium-lift helicopters, 1 C-130

6,000 fighters (all groups)Casualties and losses

53 killed

6 wounded

4 killed, 2 wounded 2,800+ killed
Unknown wounded and captured

Operation Barkhane (French: Opération Barkhane) was a counterinsurgency operation that started on 1 August 2014 and formally ended on 9 November 2022. It was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa's Sahel region and consisted of a roughly 3,000-strong French force, which was permanently headquartered in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. The operation was led in co-operation with five countries, all of which are former French colonies that span the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Mali was a part of the operation until August 2022. The countries are collectively referred to as the "G5 Sahel". The operation was named after a crescent-shaped dune type that is common in the Sahara desert.

The French military initially intervened in Mali in early 2013 as part of Operation Serval, which successfully regained the northern half of the country from Islamist groups. Operation Barkhane was intended to follow up on that success and expanded the French military's operations over a vast area of the Sahel region. The operation had the stated aim of helping the countries' governments to maintain control of their territory and preventing the region from becoming a safe haven for Islamist terrorist groups that plan to attack France and Europe.

On 24 May 2021, the 2021 Malian coup d'état was carried out by Vice President Assimi Goïta. French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June 2021 that the operation would soon end and French forces would pull out in a phased manner, due to France's inability to work with the national governments in the Sahel region. He however added that French forces would remain in the region as part of a larger international mission. The operation was later scheduled to end by the first quarter of 2022.

France began withdrawing its troops from Mali on 17 February 2022. Macron announced that the base of Barkhane will shift to Niger. The military junta ruling Mali however asked France to withdraw without delay on 18 March, with Macron responding that they would withdraw over the next four to six months. French forces fully withdrew from Mali on 15 August. The French military stated that the operation was not ending, but being reformulated. However on 9 November, Macron announced the end of Operation Barkhane.