Following the 2013 arrival of French troops in Mali, In August 2014, the French deployment to the Sahel region became Operation Barkhane. The deployment eventually grew to include over 5,000… Continue reading "France Ending Operation Barkhane in Sahel & Cuts Military Aid to CAR"
Malian Armed Forces announced on 9 August that it had officially taken possession of L-39C Albatros light combat aircraft, a CASA C-295 transport, Su-25 aircraft and helicopters, in a ceremony… Continue reading "Mali Inducts Multiple Aircraft And Helicopters"
The military junta governing Mali announced on Wednesday that it was expelling Olivier Salgado, spokesman for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, over a series of tweets… Continue reading "Mali Expels UN Peacekeeping Mission Spokesman Over Tweets"
After nearly a decade of fighting Islamist insurgents in the country, France has announced it is withdrawing troops from Mali. French forces will be redeployed elsewhere in the Sahel. In… Continue reading "France Announces Troop Withdrawal from Mali"
Welcome to Overt Defense’s Weekend Briefing where we round up the week’s most interesting and important defense news. As February begins, we continue to cover the latest from around the world.… Continue reading "Weekend Briefing (31 January – 4 February)"
On Sunday, The French Ministry of Armed Forces announced that around 60 terrorists were “neutralized” in Burkina Faso between 15-23 January by French troops operating as part of Operation Barkhane.… Continue reading "French Army Reports It Neutralized 60 Terrorists in Burkina Faso"
The Russian deployment in Mali continues to expand with reports of Russian soldiers and private military contractors occupying a former French base. This occupation of the base has been preceded… Continue reading "Russian Forces Deploy In Timbuktu, Mali Following French Withdrawal"
On 24 May, Malian Vice President Assimi Goïta, who had also headed the junta behind the 2020 Mali coup, led the Malian army to overthrow the current transitional government. The… Continue reading "France and African Union Respond to Mali Coup"
Chad’s military announced today that the country’s president of over 30 years, Idriss Déby, has died after being injured during a visit to troops fighting rebels in the north of… Continue reading "Chad’s President Idriss Déby Killed After Clash With Rebels"
On December 29th, three French soldiers were killed when an armored vehicle was struck by an IED. Less than a week later, two of their comrades met a similar fate,… Continue reading "French Military Facing Mounting Losses and Controversy in the Sahel"