French troops face grim reality in Mali
Mali troops
It has been a violent and bloody start to the New Year in Mali as on January 2two French soldiers were killed in Mali after an explosive device hit their vehicle. Just days before thaton December 29, three French soldiers had been killed in a similar fashion.
Al-Qaeda linked groups claimed responsibility for both the attacks. The deaths of the French soldiers have sparked an outpouring of anger back home in France.
Why is the French military present in Mali at all?
The Sahel region is a vast area of inhospitable desert with porous borders, semi-arid land and jihadist attacks.
Geographically, it comprises Senegal from the west to parts of Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger. In recent years, the Sahel has been in the global spotlight for religious terrorism, arms and drug trafficking and even famine.
Also read|Bomb kills two French soldiers in Mali
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Since 2012, Mali has faced a series of violent conflicts. The French intervened and dislodged jihadist groups from Mali's cities but could not manage to eliminate them.
The French intervention was part of "Operation Barkhane". Under this operation, France has deployed around 5,000 troops to the Sahel region who arespread out between Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.They engage in everything from combat patrols to intelligence gathering.
In 2017, they launched the G5 Sahel joint counter-terrorism force. Its mandate is to combat terrorism and organised crime in the Sahel area. It is France's largest overseas operation, with a budget of nearly 600 million euros per year. France maintains that Barkhane’s priority is to kill top jihadist leaders. However,in the last seven years, at least 50 soldiers have been killed and France's defence minister has conceded that security conditions in the area remain difficult.
Terrorist groups resort to guerrilla warfare and with five French soldiers killed within a span of a week,France is reconsidering its role in the region. It does not help that the deaths have sparked outrage in France.
"It was an explosive device with a vehicle that should no longer be used in the french army, but which is still in use, and the last deaths in recent times have been because of these vehicles, it's a bit of a pity, we have a bit of a feeling that our leaders are not doing what is necessary to change this," a student, former soldier in Mali said.
However, France has maintained that the Barkhane forces have achieved major military success and neutralised several senior members of the Al-Qaeda and affiliated terror groups.
Paris says it will reconsider its military strategy in the Sahel region and is likely to reduce military deployment. The final decision will be made at the next joint summit of the G5 Sahel countries in February.
Lack of funds and training have left the G5 countries largely dependent on France. It's a catch 22 situation — if France pulls out, the fragile peace in the Sahel area might collapse. However,if France stays, it may be stuck in a never-ending war.