Operation Barkhane

#GS-02 International Relations

Operation Barkhane:

Operation Barkhane is an anti-insurgent operation started on August 1, 2014 and ended on 9^th November 2022 and was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa’s Sahel region.
Operation Barkhane could be traced back to Operation Serval which began in 2013 targeting Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda who took control of northern Mali.
This mission which was successful was expanded in 2014 to encompass the entire Sahel region in 2014.
The operation 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.
These countries are collectively referred to as the “G5 Sahel”.
Mali withdrew from the operation on August 2022.

The Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) was founded in 2014 as a regional, intergovernmental organization.
It provides an institutional framework to promote development and security within its five the Sahel region.
It was formed on 16 February 2014 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, at a summit of five Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
As part of its security mandate, the G5 Sahel created the Joint Task Force in 2017 to strengthen the fight against threats to peace and security and bolster development.
Its main objectives are to collect, process, exploit and share relevant criminal information among a diverse range of actors in a complex environment.

The Sahel acts as a transition realm between Sahara in the north and Sudanian savanna to the south.
There are frequent shortages of food and water due to the dry harsh climate.
This is exacerbated by the population increasing rapidly due to very high birthrates across the region.

The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia.