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Operation Serval (French: Opération Serval) was a French military operation in Mali. [20] The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, [ 21 ] who had begun a push into the center of Mali.
The reduction of French military presence coincided with increasing Russian influence in the region. Following the withdrawal of French forces, the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger strengthened their ties with Russia, accepting the deployment of Russian mercenaries to support counter-insurgency operations in the Sahel.
Prior to the beginning of Operation Barkhane, 10 French troops had been killed in Mali as part of Operation Serval. [124] Since the launch of Operation Barkhane in August 2014, the French Ministère des Armées listed 38 servicemen were reported killed in Mali, 2 in Burkina Faso and one in Chad. [ 125 ]
Mali was a strategic location for France because of its location along the Niger River and its rich natural resources. [6] French colonial authorities sought to exploit these resources through the establishment of agricultural plantations, mining operations, and forced labor.
In mid-2014, the French military in Mali ended its Operation Serval and transitioned to the broader regional counterterrorist effort, Operation Barkhane. Despite a ceasefire agreement signed on 19 February 2015 in Algiers , Algeria , and a peace accord in the capital on 15 April 2015, fighting continued.
Pages in category "French involvement in the Mali War" The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. This list may not reflect recent changes .
The French Government announced that the soldier "was mortally wounded during fighting against armed terrorists taking refuge in the Adrar of the Ifoghas, in northern Mali." [5] Colonel Thierry Burkhard told French Media that French paratroopers had been engaged with Terrorists throughout the day on several occasions. [6]
Among them were Arabs, Tuaregs, Bambara, Bellas and French-speaking and English-speaking blacks. On January 15, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declared that the Islamist forces deployed in this area were among the "hardest, most fanatic, the best organized, the most determined and the best armed groups. " He estimated the number of ...