France was at war in the Sahel for eight years. Eight years in which thousands of soldiers of Operation Barkhane hunted the GAT, armed terrorist groups, in the vast desert covering Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad.
On this hunting ground as large as Europe, the enemy hides in refuge areas that are hard for French armored vehicles to reach, when not within the local population.
To flush out the fighters of AQIM and the Islamic State, the French forces are reinforced by troops from the G5 Sahel. In addition to the FAMA (Malian armed forces), Chadian forces make up a large share of the troops on the ground.
In April 2021, a battalion of 1,200 soldiers made the journey from N’Djamena to join the French army. Since then, a very large “sweep” operation has been carried out to neutralize jihadists in the dangerous tri-border area. The demarcation line between Burkina, Niger and Mali has become a front line for the elements of the “Chimère” desert battlegroup.
Deployed in a hurry from Castres in southern France, it is the paratroopers of the 8e RPIMa who are leading the hunt with complete autonomy in this arid desert, where temperatures reach 50 degrees every day.
Story available to the press, on commission or through the photo library.Request a license
The story
30 images
