French troops in Sahel: A look back at Operation Barkhane

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00:00French troops arrived in Mali in 2013 after the Malian government asked for military assistance to help fend off a jihadist insurgency.

00:17The Barkan force was created not just to fight terror groups but also to train national security forces.

00:24At the height of the mission, the number of French troops reached 5,100.

00:30At first, they helped slow down the advance of jihadist groups and secure large cities.

00:36But the areas to cover were vast.

00:39In following years, French troops and national armies were unable to stop terror organizations from expanding.

00:46In 2022, after military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and later in Niger, French troops were told to leave.

00:59What has our country gained from the presence of Barkan?

01:03If we can say the problem has not worsened, I believe that we have not seen a military solution.

01:11Several countries have grown closer to Moscow, with Russian mercenaries deploying on the ground.

01:18In recent months, France has been reshaping its military alliances in the countries where it's still deployed,

01:25focusing on training and strategy, like here in Gabon.

01:33Our partnership needs to be revised and adapted to today's context.

01:40This week, France presented a plan scaling back its military presence in four countries,

01:46but two of them, Senegal and Chad, now say they no longer want any foreign military base in their territory,

01:53which means France will have to pull out all of its troops from those countries.

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