(by Massimiliano D'Elia) Macron last week launched an appeal to the US and other Western countries to form a coalition of special forces to replace the French operation Barkhane, cost several billion and 55 victims among French soldiers. Paris has decided to withdraw from the Sahel, thus marking the failure of a presence that dates back to 2013, when over 5000 soldiers were deployed in the Sahel to avoid the fall of the capital of Mali, besieged by Islamic terrorists. Western enthusiasm for the recent French request, however, proved tepid. In light of the growing uncertainty, China and Russia could take advantage of the French withdrawal and, according to some analysts, will not miss such a favorable opportunity to expand more and more on the African continent. "The Russians have already signed military agreements with several Sahel countries and it is very likely that they will pounce on this opportunity", he told the WP Judd Devemont, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
In the meantime, an important joint military training between the United States, Africa and Europe took place this month. The restoration of security in this hot area of Africa, however, raises many questions as to how the Biden administration will respond to the growing threats in the territory, where American troops have, to date, only supported foreign troops on the ground ( 1.100 American soldiers were focused on training, logistical support and intelligence). On the other hand, West and Central African security forces claim that they alone do not have sufficient funds and equipment to protect their nations from Islamist militants linked to Al Qaeda and at the Stato islamico.
Despite the presence of French and regional troops for nearly a decade, bloodshed continues to increase in the Sahel. Terrorist attacks spilled from Mali to Burkina Faso and Niger. Nearly 7.000 people died in the violence during 2020, according to data provided by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). Burkina Faso suffered the bloodiest massacre this month: gunmen stormed a northern village, killing at least 132 people. Regular security forces also killed hundreds of civilians because they were guilty of sharing their villages with irregular fighters.
A reduction in troops could ease the tension, he argues Hannah Armstrong, analyst of the International Crisis Group: "The foreign military forces have not been able to contain the threat but have unwittingly favored the various authoritarian governments to the detriment of stability ”. It is no coincidence that protest against the French presence is growing day by day in Mali. The protests, however, claim intelligence sources are artfully mounted by Iswap terrorists. "We need more help to fight terrorists, but for years France has shown an inability to do so " a Burkina Faso military officer told the WP. "This is why the population is rebelling more and more ”.
The French retreat. The announcement of Macron's withdrawal came three weeks after Mali saw its second coup in nine months, a development the French leader called "unacceptable". Military leaders are now in command of Mali, and Western governments have halted security assistance until a democratically elected government is restored. Paris started looking for European partners in the Sahel last year with the creation of Operation Takuba which now has only 600 men from France, Sweden, Estonia and Czechoslovakia. US Africa Command has yet to say whether American troops will join Takuba. Italy, on the other hand, has already decided to be part of it and is trying to involve other European partners as well. “We appreciate the partnership with France and other international partners in the Sahel and look forward to learning more in the coming weeks about France's plans to implement this strategic shift, including their vision of the operational resources and coordination mechanisms needed to implement it "he said Cindi King, spokesman for the Department of Defense USA.
Africa Lion tutorial. Over 8000 US troops participated in a massive two-week exercise in Morocco. On the sidelines of the event, Maj. Gen. Andrew Rohling - Commander of the Southern Europe Task Force -, said the United States will continue in its support mission for now: "I know that the French are rather worried about safety, we will be increasingly committed to supporting the French".