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Conflitos => Conflitos do Presente => Tópico iniciado por: LM em Novembro 19, 2019, 11:21:25 am

Título: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Novembro 19, 2019, 11:21:25 am
France and Sahel partner forces conduct ‘unprecedented’ operation in Burkina Faso and Mali (https://thedefensepost.com/2019/11/18/joint-operation-burkina-faso-mali-barkhane-bourgou-iv-sahel/)

17-day operation combined 1,400 troops from France, the G5 Sahel Joint Force, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger

Forces from the France-led Operation Barkhane and its partner forces in the Sahel region of central Africa carried out an ‘unprecedented’ 17-day operation against ‘armed terrorist groups’ in Burkina Faso and Mali.

Between November 1 and 17, “the G5 Sahel Joint Force, the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF) and the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), supported by Desert Battle Group ‘Steel’ conducted Operation Bourgou IV in the Déou area of Burkina Faso and Boulikessi area of Mali, the French Armed Forces ministry said in a Monday, November 18 release.

More than 1,400 soldiers from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and France took part in the operation, and more than half of those involved were from partner forces, “which represents an unprecedented participation in an operation of this magnitude,” the ministry said.

Operation Bourgou IV “resulted in 24 individuals, being put out of action,” and the seizure of 64 vehicles, around 100 phones, and ammunition.

Carried out simultaneously in Mali and Burkina Faso, the operation aimed to disrupt the logistics of “armed terrorist groups” and hinder their activity in the region.

FABF and the Barkhane force conducted reconnaissance in the Tofagala forest in northeast Burkina Faso, taking control of dozens of camps there and confirming the presence of armed terrorist groups, the ministry said.

On the night of November 7-8, a temporary base for Burkinabé and Barkhane forces was “harassed by armed terrorist groups,” the ministry said.

“Enemy combatants” were spotted a few hundred metres from the base, and warning shots were fired “to deter them from undertaking any attack.”

On its Facebook page, the French armed forces said 25mm cannon warning shots and 81mm mortar flare shells were fired were fired between 7 p.m. and midnight, but at about 1:30 a.m, a column of pick-up trucks was observed moving towards the temporary base.

(https://thedefensepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/burkina-faso-barkhane-5.jpg)
French soldiers work to deter an attack on a temporary Barkhane base in Burkina Faso during Operation Bourgou IV, November 2019.

(https://thedefensepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/burkina-faso-barkhane-6.jpg)
A French VBCI armored infantry fighting vehicle fires its 25 mm cannon to deter an attack on a temporary Barkhane base in Burkina Faso during Operation Bourgou IV, November 2019.

“A column of pick-up trucks that began its advance towards the bases” and was fired on by 25 mm cannon, machine guns, mortars and light infantry weapons, “forcing it to stop its assault and exfiltrate itself,” the ministry said.

In Mali, partner forces supported by Barkhane “contributed to the strengthening of the defences of the Boulikessi post.” Forests in the area were searched, “undermining the logistics of armed terrorist groups and hampering their supply chain.”

In Iate September, at least 40 Malian soldiers were killed in simultaneous raids claimed by al-Qaeda-linked JNIM in Boulikessi and Mondoro, near central Mali’s border with Burkina Faso, one of the deadliest attacks against Mali’s military in recent insurgent violence. The troops were from a battalion under G5 Sahel Joint Force command.

Former colonial power France has been trying to build international support for a new military force to work alongside its 4,500-strong Operation Barkhane counter-terrorism mission in the Sahel.

French plans for a new international special operations task force for the Sahel were first reported in early October, and on November 5, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said that France expected the new force – dubbed “Takuba” – to deploy in Mali by 2020. Around a dozen European states “have expressed an interest in taking part in this initiative,” a French Armed Forces spokesperson said.

Estonia is the first partner to confirm a special operations forces deployment to Takuba. A defense ministry spokesperson told The Defense Post that special forces will deploy to Mali in the second half of 2020 and that force will ‘assist, advise and accompany’ the Malian Armed Forces.

Last week, senior officials said the United States is seeking a meeting of the Coalition against ISIS early in 2020 to focus on threats in West Africa and the Sahel.
International operations in the Sahel

In 2012 a Tuareg separatist uprising against the state was exploited by Islamist extremists linked to al-Qaeda who took key cities in Mali’s desert north.

France began its Operation Serval military intervention in its former colony early the next year, driving the jihadists from the towns, and the MINUSMA peacekeeping force was then established.

But the militant groups have morphed into more nimble formations operating in rural areas, and the insurgency has gradually spread to central and southern regions of Mali and across the borders into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. Large swathes of Mali remain outside government control, and inter-ethnic bloodshed is a regular occurrence.

The U.N. says that since January more than 1,500 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso and Mali, and more than one million people have been internally displaced across the five Sahel states – more than twice the number displaced in 2018. Access has become increasingly difficult, but 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Many armed groups are active in the Sahel region, including Islamic State-affiliated groups, but the majority of attacks are attributed to JNIM, which formed in March 2017 from a merger of several smaller groups including the Sahara branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine and al-Mourabitoun. JNIM’s leadership has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The Serval mission evolved in August 2014 into Operation Barkhane, and roughly 4,500 French troops are deployed in the region, including around 2,700 soldiers in Mali.

But Barkhane has a growing international dimension, with European partners sending more troops and equipment. Denmark is to send two helicopters and up to 70 troops to support Barkhane in December and Estonia is to almost double the size of its Barkhane contingent in 2020. Chinook helicopters from the United Kingdom currently support the operation.

Operation Barkhane focuses activity in insurgent-hit Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, and troops work alongside other international operations, including the 14,000-strong MINUSMA U.N. stabilization mission in Mali and the G5 Sahel Joint Force (FCG5S), a planned 4,500-strong joint counter-terrorism force comprising troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Mauritania.

Around 620 troops from 22 member states and five non-E.U. states work with the Malian Armed Forces and the FCG5S in European Union Training Mission – Mali, which has a mandate until May 2020. Around 14,000 FAMa personnel have been trained since the mission was established in 2013.

Earlier this month, AFRICOM said U.S. intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flight operations had begun from Nigerien Air Base 201 in the northern city of Agadez.



Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lightning em Novembro 26, 2019, 09:06:48 pm
Colisão em voo entre dois helicópteros franceses durante uma operação no Sahel faz 13 mortos.

https://theaviationist.com/2019/11/26/thirteen-french-soldiers-killed-in-the-collision-of-two-military-helicopters-in-mali/
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Janeiro 13, 2020, 11:02:33 am
Macron junta líderes do Sahel


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Janeiro 13, 2020, 11:28:25 pm
França e países do Sahel reforçam aliança contra o terrorismo


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Fevereiro 21, 2020, 02:05:55 pm
French actions ‘neutralize 50 terrorists’ near Mopti in central Mali (https://thedefensepost.com/2020/02/21/mali-france-barkhane-50-terrorists-mopti/)

(https://thedefensepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/reaper-france-barkhane-niger-51-1170x610.jpg)
A French air force Reaper drone fitted with GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs flies near Niamey airbase in Niger

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Barkhane operations between February 9 and 17 targeted Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliated militants

Around 50 militants were “neutralized” in actions carried out by the France-led Operation Barkhane targeting Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliated fighters in Mali, according to an Armed Forces Ministry release.

The operations, conducted in two phases between February 9 and 17 around the central town of Mopti, were the result of “preparatory work and intelligence gathering that made it possible to characterize with certainty the activity of armed terrorist groups,” the Thursday, February 20 release said.

Around 30 motorcycles and two pickup trucks were destroyed, and weapons, telephones and electronic equipment were seized during the actions.

In the first operation, carried out northwest of Mopti between February 9 and 10, airstrikes conducted by Reaper drones and Mirage 2000 jet fighter aircraft along with combat helicopter engagements “neutralized some 20 armed combatants” including an Islamic State in the Greater Sahara officer.

The French Armed Forces groups fighters killed, injured or taken prisoner under the terms “neutralized” or taken “out of action,” according to AFP.

A second action was carried out between February 16 and 17 south of Mopti, “in a region where Katiba Macina is rampant.”

Katiba Macina is one of the constituent groups of JNIM, which has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.

Airstrikes and helicopter fire were accompanied by a helicopter-borne assault, and “some 30 jihadist fighters were put out of action.”

“These two operations, with their very heavy material and human toll, weaken the offensive potential of the armed terrorist groups in this region,” the ministry said.
FAMa ‘captures 3 foreign terrorist leaders’ near Mopti

On February 18, the day after the French action south of Mopti, the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) tracked “terrorists” in the Somadougou area of the Mopti region, a FAMa release said.

“FAMa helicopters carried out precision airstrikes in the Somadougou sector as far as the village of Diallo on the Bankass road,” the release said.

Somadougou is around 28 km (17 miles) south of Mopti town, and Diallo is around 25 km further southeast.

“Several terrorists were killed, some weapons were abandoned, others destroyed,” and three “foreign terrorist leaders” were captured.

It is unclear whether the Barkhane and FAMa operations were related.

Earlier this week, the French ministry released information on two other Barkhane actions on February 8 and 13 near Hombori, which is around 280 km east of Mopti town.

Between February 6 and 7, the Barkhane force ‘neutralized’ around 20 terrorists “in the west of the Gourma region,” in an area where the “katiba is rampant.”

In mid-January, the ministry said more than 30 “terrorists” were “put out of action” in two commando operations in Mopti that apparently targeted Katiba Macina.
Growing French presence in the Sahel

The French military presence in the Sahel began in 2013 with Operation Serval in Mali, and evolved in August 2014 into Operation Barkhane, which has a mandate for counter-terrorism operations across the region. The Barkhane force focuses activity in insurgent-hit Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, working alongside local troops and other international operations, including the regional G5 Sahel Joint Force (FCG5S), which comprises troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, and MINUSMA, the U.N. stabiliization mission in Mali.

Earlier this month, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said that the number of French troops deployed to the Sahel would increase from 4,500 to 5,100.

France and the G5 Sahel states in January injected new urgency into the counter-terrorism fight, announcing a new Coalition for the Sahel which will see increased coordination between French and local forces. Barkhane and FCG5S forces operating under joint command will focus on the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border zone, targeting Islamic State as a priority.

Barkhane is already building command coordination with Sahel Coalition partner forces, setting up dedicated coordination mechanisms in Niger’s capital Niamey and Chad’s capital N’Djamena, where Barkhane is headquartered, while Mali has launched Operation Maliko, a new counter-terrorism operation that will take into account cross-border, regional and international cooperation.

France has also been trying to build support for the new special operations Task Force Takuba that will train, advise, assist and accompany local forces in their fight against Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates in the region. Takuba will declare initial military capability in the summer and will be fully operational by the autumn.

France hopes that Takuba will comprise around 500 special forces personnel, according to Le Monde. The new French deployment will include around 50 special forces personnel who will form the nucleus of Takuba, Le Monde reported.

So far, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Sweden have announced plans to contribute to Takuba, and discussions with Finland and Norway are reportedly ongoing, but Germany and the U.S. have declined.

Belgium is to contribute three staff officers to Takuba according to the Belga news agency, but the current caretaker government’s Foreign Minister Philippe Goffin told AFP on February 13 that committing troops to such an operation would require a government with a full mandate, plus the approval of parliament.

Barkhane already has an international dimension, with European partners contributing troops and equipment. Estonia is to almost double the size of its force protection contingent this year, Denmark has deployed two Merlin helicopters, and three Chinook helicopters from the United Kingdom currently support the operation.

Islamist insurgents in the Sahel

The complex insurgency in the Sahel began in Mali in 2012, when a Tuareg separatist uprising was exploited by al-Qaeda-linked extremists who took key cities in the desert north. Former colonial power France began its Operation Serval military intervention the following year, driving the jihadists from the towns.

But the militant groups morphed into more nimble formations operating in rural areas, and the insurgency gradually spread to central and southern regions of Mali and then into Burkina Faso and Niger.

More than 4,000 people were reported killed in militant attacks in the three countries last year, according to the U.N., and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the spiraling violence in the Sahel has spread to coastal states of West Africa.

Many armed groups including Islamic State are active in the Sahel region, but the majority of attacks are attributed to JNIM, which formed in March 2017 from a merger of several smaller groups. JNIM’s leadership has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Since May 2019, ISIS has attributed insurgent activities in the Sahel area to ISWAP, its West Africa Province affiliate that split from Boko Haram in 2016, rather than to Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. ISWAP’s main area of operations is the Lake Chad area of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Macron has said the Sahel Coalition would prioritize the fight against ISIS in the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border area because it is the most dangerous.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Março 05, 2020, 06:04:57 pm
France boosts Barkhane force to 5,100 troops to further focus on Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border area (https://thedefensepost.com/2020/02/02/france-boosts-barkhane-5100-troops-sahel-mali-burkina-faso-niger/)

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Some of the reinforcements "will be committed directly" to G5 Sahel Joint Forces and will "accompany them in combat," Parly says

France is to boost the number of troops deployed to its Operation Barkhane counter-terrorism mission in Africa’s Sahel region to 5,100, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Sunday, February 2.

President Emmanuel Macron and the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces General François Lecointre “took the decision to increase the number of troops deployed in the Sahel-Saharan strip to about 5,100, an increase of 600 soldiers,” Parly said in a statement.

Around 200 additional troops had already deployed to the region last month, but Lecointre said on January 22 that he was asking Macron for further French reinforcements accompanied by “additional logistical and intelligence” support.

“This is a major effort for the French Armed Forces: most of the reinforcements will be deployed in the so-called “three borders” zone between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger,” Parly said.

“Another part of these reinforcements will be committed directly to the G5 Sahel forces to accompany them in combat,” she added.

Parly noted that Chad “should soon be deploying an additional battalion” in the tri-border zone within the regional G5 Sahel Joint Force (FCG5S), which also includes troops from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania.

She also acknowledged last week’s announcement that the Czech Republic intends to send 60 troops to join the new France-led special operations Task Force Takuba in the Sahel.

“Further announcements should be made shortly, depending on the political and parliamentary calendars of the countries wishing to join us,” Parly added.

France has for months been trying to build support for Takuba. Parly said in November that France expected the new force to deploy in Mali by 2020. The Czech Republic is only the second country to publicly say it intends to to join the new task force, after Estonia said in November that it would deploy troops to Takuba. A defense ministry spokesperson told The Defense Post then that special forces will deploy to Mali in the second half of the year and that force will “assist, advise and accompany” the Malian Armed Forces.

Lecointre has said that Takuba will declare initial military capability in the summer and “will be fully operational by the autumn.”

Parly also said that France favors extending the mandate of the European Union Training Mission in Mali to “enable it to cooperate with the armed forces of other G5 countries and thus provide a larger part of their training.”

EUTM-Mali’s main objectives is to improve FAMa capacity, but it also works to support the operationalization of the FCG5S through dedicated advice and training. It has a mandate until May 2020 and costs around €20 million ($22 million) per year to maintain. More than 14,000 Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) personnel have been trained since the mission was established in February 2013.
France in the Sahel

The French military presence in the Sahel began in 2013 with Operation Serval in Mali, and evolved in August 2014 into Operation Barkhane, which has a mandate for counter-terrorism operations across the region. Roughly 4,700 French troops are currently deployed, and they focus activity in insurgent-hit Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, working alongside local troops and other international operations, including the FCG5S and the United Nations stabilization mission in Mali, MINUSMA.

On January 13, Macron and the leaders of the G5 Sahel states announced a new Coalition for the Sahel which will see increased coordination between French and local forces focused on the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border zone and targeting Islamic State as a priority. The new Sahel Coalition will see Barkhane and FCG5S forces operating under joint command.

Parly said on Sunday that Macron had told the defense council this week that “this major step in our engagement in the Sahel must mark a turning point both in the mobilization of our European partners and the ramp-up of G5 forces.”

Barkhane already has an international dimension, with European partners contributing troops and equipment. Denmark has deployed two Merlin helicopters and Estonia is to almost double the size of its Barkhane contingent this year. Chinook helicopters from the United Kingdom currently support the operation.
Islamist insurgents in the Sahel

The complex insurgency in the Sahel began in Mali in 2012, when a Tuareg separatist uprising was exploited by al-Qaeda-linked extremists who took key cities in the desert north. Former colonial power France began its Operation Serval military intervention the following year, driving the jihadists from the towns.

But the militant groups morphed into more nimble formations operating in rural areas, and the insurgency gradually spread to central and southern regions of Mali and across the borders into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Many armed groups including Islamic State are active in the Sahel region, but the majority of attacks are attributed to JNIM, which formed in March 2017 from a merger of several smaller groups. JNIM’s leadership has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Since May 2019, ISIS has attributed insurgent activities in the Sahel area to ISWAP, its West Africa Province affiliate that split from Boko Haram in 2016, rather than to Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. ISWAP’s main area of operations is the Lake Chad area of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Macron has said the Sahel Coalition would prioritize the fight against ISIS in the Mali-Burkina Faso-Niger tri-border area because it is the most dangerous.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Março 25, 2020, 11:20:02 am
Não é recente, mas “um exército marcha sobre o seu estômago”...


E RWS...
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Março 29, 2020, 12:41:12 am
Portugal integra força militar europeia que vai ajudar Mali a combater milícias (https://sicnoticias.pt/pais/2020-03-28-Portugal-integra-forca-militar-europeia-que-vai-ajudar-Mali-a-combater-milicias)

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Até agora, o projeto, lançado por iniciativa da França, teve a adesão de cinco Estados: Bélgica, Dinamarca, Estónia, Países Baios e Portugal.
Portugal é um dos seis Estados europeus que participa com militares no conjunto de forças especiais que vão acompanhar os soldados do Mali no combate às várias milícias que operam neste país do Sahel, foi anunciado na sexta-feira.

O lançamento oficial da futura força-tarefa ('task-force', em inglês), designada 'Takuba' (designação de uma espada típica da região), foi feito por 11 Estados, mas só seis se comprometeram em participar com efetivos militares.

"Considerando que a situação de segurança no Mali e, de forma geral, no Sahel, continua a ser preocupante", Alemanha, Bélgica, Dinamarca, Estónia, França, Noruega, Países Baixos, Portugal, República Checa, Reino Unido e Suécia declararam o seu "apoio político à criação de uma 'task force'".

A função apontada a esta força é a de assistir as Forças Armadas malianas na luta contra os grupos terroristas e apoiar os esforços desenvolvidos atualmente pela Operação Barkhane e a Força Conjunta do G5 Sahel, conforme comunicado distribuído.

Esta força, que deve contar com centenas de efetivos, começa a operar este verão sob comando francês, na região do Liptako, nos confins do Níger e do Mali, onde têm pontos de apoio milícias como a que se designa Estado Islâmico no Grande Saara.

"Com a 'Takuba', os europeus mostram a sua capacidade de se mobilizar em conjunto pela sua segurança", reagiu na sexta-feira à noite a ministra das Forças Armadas francesa, Florence Parly, na rede social Twitter.

Não obstante, apesar de a declaração ser assinada por 11 Estados, apenas seis já se comprometeram em participar com efetivos militares.

Até agora, o projeto, lançado por iniciativa da França, teve a adesão de cinco Estados: Bélgica, Dinamarca, Estónia, Países Baios e Portugal.

A Suécia espera uma autorização parlamentar para confirmar a participação, com uma força de reação rápida helitransportada integrada por 150 militares. Solicitada, a Noruega anunciou na segunda-feira que renunciava a enviar soldados por falta de apoio político interno. A Alemanha também declinou participar na força.

Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lightning em Abril 13, 2020, 11:48:22 pm
EUA começam a privatizar a sua força militar em África
https://www.publico.pt/2020/03/30/mundo/noticia/eua-comecam-privatizar-forca-militar-africa-1910197
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Junho 13, 2020, 12:30:39 pm
‘Capture Not Possible:’ France’s Desert Operation Against Al-Qaeda Chief (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/06/12/france-operation-al-qaeda-chief/)

 June 12, 2020

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In a desert wilderness in Mali, close to the Algerian border, pitted with isolated rocks and weighed by oppressive heat, French special forces and combat helicopters begin an operation.

At its climax, they claim one of the greatest successes of France’s deployment in the Sahel region of north Africa — the killing of the head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Abdelmalek Droukdel.

The French military, for the first time, provided details on Thursday of how late last week it “neutralized” the man it has called “the third deputy” of Al-Qaeda’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Officials describe the death of the Algerian Droukdel as the fruit of meticulous intelligence work. This was concluded by a military intervention in broad daylight, about ten kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Algerian border, east of the Malian town of Tessalit.

A source close to the operation said about 15 French special forces were dropped by at least two transport helicopters, as well as a Tiger combat helicopter and a Gazelle multipurpose helicopter, with a drone in support.

“The capture of Droukdel was not possible,” said the source, who asked not to be named. “The goal is not necessarily to kill,” said the official. But “in combat, the men see just rocks” with combatants cowering behind them. “They don’t know who is behind the gun.” The source added: “This type of individual does not surrender.”
‘Building Intelligence’

The army is not giving details of the exchanges that took place during the operation, merely confirming that fighting took place at close quarters.

“We knew that there was a target of interest in the region for two days. After that, it was all a work of mutual support, between the different sources of intelligence,” said the source. “It is a case of building it up,” said the official, without revealing the origin of the information but confirming the help of the United States.

Once the objective was identified and located, conditions in northern Mali at the beginning of the rainy season slowed down the progress of forces on the ground.

In the operation, one individual was captured and handed to the Malian authorities after being interrogated by the French forces. But the soldiers also seized important digital material, including phones, cards, and computers. Analyzing them may help explain what Droukdel, who was usually very discreet, was doing in the region.
‘Buried at the Scene’

There has for some time been major fighting between groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda with those of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS). These have been “violent” fights with “losses on both sides”, according to the French source.

It has not been ruled out that this could have prompted Droukdel’s presence in the area. “It’s a real question,” said the source, expressing hope that analysis would shed more light on this.

The IS-GS was designated in January as the number one enemy of France’s 5,000 strong anti-jihadist force Barkhane and its G5 Sahel allies of Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso. But, in the end, it was an Al-Qaeda figure who was killed in this operation.

“The fact that today we have focused a certain number of our forces on the most virulent and urgent threat has not distracted us from the surveillance of other branches”, said the source.

Once the operation was finished, the special forces “applied the standards of armed conflict: the enemy combatants were buried at the scene.” Meanwhile, the prisoner taken “will answer for his actions before the courts,” said the source.

The official praised the operational efficiency of the French forces on the ground and in the air, saying they were capable of deploying in a clandestine situation in full gear in temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).

In military terms, these are “extremely rustic conditions,” said the source.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Julho 07, 2020, 04:41:00 pm
España reforzará la presencia militar en África y reducirá tropas en Oriente Medio (https://www.vozpopuli.com/espana/espana-presencia-militar-africa_0_1367564151.html)

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El objetivo de Defensa es incrementar el número de efectivos en el Sahel, azotado por el terrorismo y otras inestabilidades, y potenciar los equipos móviles de adiestramiento e instrucción en la región

(https://www.vozpopuli.com/2020/06/25/espana/militares-desplegados-Koulikoro-Mali-patrulla_1367573277_15157157_1020x574.jpg)
Uno de los militares desplegados en Koulikoro (Mali) realiza una patrulla

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España va a virar hacia África el eje de sus misiones militares en el exterior. La inestabilidad derivada de las actividades terroristas y criminales, unida al incesante tráfico de personas y estupefacientes, aumenta las alarmas en una región prioritaria para España. El refuerzo de las capacidades en el Sahel se llevará a cabo en detrimento de otros despliegues, previsiblemente en Oriente Medio. El Estado Mayor de la Defensa (EMAD) y el Ministerio dirigido por Margarita Robles ya trabajan en el planeamiento de este nuevo orden en las operaciones internacionales.

Mali, Senegal, República Centroafricana y Somalia son los países en los que las Fuerzas Armadas mantienen despliegues permanentes de tropas. Además hay acuerdos de cooperación puntuales y periódicos con diversos países del Golfo de Guinea. Y en el Índico, la Armada coopera en la misión internacional contra la piratería. España considera que esas regiones son “prioritarias”, según fuentes militares consultadas por Vozpópuli, y estudian cómo llevar a cabo un refuerzo equilibrado -en recursos y efectivos- en el Sahel.

Entre los motivos que sustentan la reestructuración está la persistente actividad terrorista en la región. Menos de 1.500 kilómetros separan la frontera española y maliense, donde ahora se concentran el grueso de los esfuerzos militares de nuestro país (casi 300 efectivos antes de que estallase la crisis del coronavirus). Francia -recientemente neutralizó en Mali al líder de Al Qaeda en el norte de África, Abdelmalek Drukdel- ha pedido en varias ocasiones a la Unión Europea que redoble sus esfuerzos en la región.
Los casos afgano e iraquí

Defensa reducirá las capacidades desplegadas en escenarios como Afganistán tras el acuerdo firmado entre el Gobierno de Kabul con los talibán y la consecuente retirada de tropas de Estados Unidos. También se prevé el cierre de la principal base de las tropas españolas en Irak, la de Besmayah, y está pendiente ver cómo se reestructura esta misión, ahora reducida en efectivos por la crisis del coronavirus.

Por el contrario, España potenciará sus despliegues en suelo africano. Las mismas fuentes militares aseveran que las modificaciones se llevarán a cabo previo acuerdo con las organizaciones internacionales implicadas, principalmente la OTAN y la Unión Europea.
Misiones menos estáticas

El objetivo es que las actuales misiones de adiestramiento y asesoramiento en el Sahel no sean tan estáticas en términos geográficos. Hasta ahora, el grueso de la actividad pasa por la instrucción de las unidades en grandes bases, como es el caso de Koulikoro (Mali). La idea para el futuro pasa por formar a los instructores locales para que sean ellos los que lleven a cabo la formación de sus propias tropas. Y en lugar de hacerlo en estas grandes instalaciones, potenciar los desplazamientos de equipos móviles para llevar a cabo la actividad en puntos más diversos. No sólo en Mali, también en otros países de la región.

El Jefe del Estado Mayor de la Defensa (JEMAD), general del Aire Miguel Ángel Villarroya, admite este cambio de paradigma en una entrevista publicada en la revista Atalayar: “Es un nuevo cambio de filosofía y requiere de más efectivos”. Y añade: “España ya está planeando incrementar el número de efectivos, probablemente de manera notable”.
Poner el foco en África

La ministra de Defensa, Margarita Robles, ya ha elevado la voz desde Bruselas para pedir una mayor implicación de sus socios europeos en África. El pasado mes de diciembre, tras reunirse con sus homólogos, afirmó ante la prensa: “He hecho un llamamiento para que los demás países incrementen también su participación”. A su juicio, España “es el país que más está contribuyendo a las misiones de paz, sobre todo en África”, donde aporta “casi el 25% de los efectivos” de las misiones que mantiene la Unión Europea.

En las últimas semanas, además, el Sahel ha sufrido un recrudecimiento de la violencia terrorista, con atentados en Mali, Costa de Marfil, Nigeria y en la frontera entre Chad y Camerún. El Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores español condenó los ataques y manifestó su “compromiso” de “redoblar los esfuerzos” junto con la Unión Europea y la comunidad internacional para hacer frente “a los principales retos y desafíos” de la región.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitan em Julho 08, 2020, 01:18:57 pm
Um estudo sobre a Operação Serval e as lições que o Exército Americano retirou.

France's War in Mali
Lessons for an Expeditionary Army


French Army operations in Mali (Operation Serval) in 2013 provide a model for designing and operating an expeditionary force, one that has a number of attributes and competencies that United States Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno has indicated to be requirements for the Army. The model therefore provides a living example that illustrates what meeting those requirements entails, as well as the associated risks. As France's War in Mali: Lessons for an Expeditionary Army details, the French in Serval demonstrated that they are adept at quickly fielding small yet highly capable forces tailored for specific needs and objectives and reiteratively task organizing as the situation evolves. They have done so in part by pushing modularity below the battalion level, enabling them to disaggregate and reaggregate elements of their brigades. The French have also invested in technologies and vehicles designed to enhance the capabilities of its units at all echelons. Moreover, the French Army, particularly its expeditionary brigades, is for all intents and purposes a regionally aligned force that has a demonstrated ability to leverage its area-specific expertise to compensate for its small size and to work effectively with and among local populations. The French Army also appears to have an operational culture well suited for expeditionary warfare, particularly in austere environments and with limited resources. The aspects of French Army operations in Mali discussed in this report make the French Army a model for building the kind of expeditionary force envisioned by Odierno, and perhaps one that is also increasingly in line with future United States Army budgets. The French example also highlights compromises that are associated with becoming more expeditionary and the attendant risks.

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR700/RR770/RAND_RR770.pdf

Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Setembro 06, 2020, 10:38:22 am
Militares franceses mortos no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Novembro 13, 2020, 01:48:42 pm
French Forces Kill Jihadist Commander Ba Ag Moussa in Mali (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/11/13/france-kills-ag-moussa-mali/)

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Analysts say that Ag Moussa had been behind deadly attacks that targeted Malian forces but he also enjoyed popularity within his ethnic Touareg community.

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France announced Friday that its anti-jihadist force in Mali had killed the military commander of an Al-Qaeda-aligned group linked to attacks in the region.

The killing of Ba Ag Moussa is a major boost for the thousands-strong French Barkhane force stationed in the Sahel region of Africa for over half a decade in a grinding fight against multiple jihadist groups who are often also fighting each other.

Symbolically, it was also announced on the five-year anniversary of the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris by jihadist gunmen and suicide bombers that were France’s worst-ever peacetime atrocity.

Defence Minister Florence Parly hailed the operation involving helicopters and ground troops that “neutralized” Ba Ag Moussa, described as the military commander of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

Ag Moussa, alias ‘Bamoussa,’ is “believed responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces,” she said in a statement.

“He is considered one of the top military jihadists in Mali, in charge in particular of the training of new recruits.”

Significant Success

Last June, French forces in Mali killed Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the rival jihadist group to GSIM.

Observers have noted that the killing of Droukdel was a symbolic victory more than anything else as the prominent Algerian jihadist was no longer involved in ground operations and his death did not change the security situation.

The killing of Ag Moussa, a former soldier in the Mali army who turned to jihadism, could thus be even more significant.

According to the Counter-Extremism Project (CEP), he in 2017 became the operational chief of GISM under its leader Iyad Ag Ghaly.

It has become one of the main jihadist forces in the Sahel along with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group, which is also is sworn enemy.

Both are targets of the Barkhane force’s operations.

Analysts say that Ag Moussa had been behind deadly attacks that targeted Malian forces but he also enjoyed popularity within his ethnic Touareg community.

Uphill Struggle

Mali is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that erupted in 2012 and which has claimed thousands of military and civilian lives since.

Despite the presence of thousands of French and UN troops, the conflict has engulfed the center of the country and spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Despite a long deployment that has claimed the lives of over 50 French troops, analysts say that the force cannot yet claim any lasting victory over jihadists in the region.

According to army sources, France is now hoping to cut back its military presence from the current number of 5,100 in the restive region to make room for a stronger European commitment.

Experts say one major vulnerability exploited by jihadists is the inability of many central governments in the region to secure and supply far-flung territories after a military victory.

To lighten the load, France is hoping for more military support from its European partners through the Takuba Task Force which assists Mali in its fight against jihadists.

Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Dezembro 22, 2020, 10:49:00 am
Three Years on, G5 Sahel Force Struggles With Mission (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/12/21/g5-sahel-force-struggles/)

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Combining men from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania, the G5 is meant to bind the countries in an alliance against a common foe.

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Three years ago West African nations launched a joint force touted as a giant’s stride in the fight against Islamist militants sweeping across the Sahel.

But lack of equipment, funds, and training, together with problems in deployment and coordination on the ground, have left the so-called G5 Sahel struggling for credibility and still dependent on France, the force’s big political backer.

Planned as a seven-battalion force combining 5,000-men from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania, the G5 is meant to bind the countries of this vast region in an alliance against a common foe.

Thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes since jihadists launched an insurgency in northern Mali in 2012, which has since spread into Niger and Burkina Faso.

The G5 troops are supposed to operate in three corridors 200 kilometers (120 miles) on either side of common borders. The contingents are based in national territory, with the idea being that they can go across borders for operational reasons.

But on the ground, G5 contingents often respond more to their national command rather than to the force’s headquarters, according to western military sources.

“We don’t know when they take their orders from their national staff or from the joint force command,” said one.

During one operation with French forces at the end of 2019, Burkinabe officers told AFP they had received orders from Ouagadougou not to cross the border into Mali.

The orders were completely at odds with the goal of trans-frontier flexibility, yet there is no evidence today that such contradictions have been resolved.

Heavily Dependent

The G5 has received more than 50 armored vehicles from partners, including the European Union, but remains critically short in key areas.

UN troops routinely provide food and fuel for remote G5 Sahel bases whose troops lack the means to be self-sufficient.

Earlier this month, Barkhane was asked to escort Malian troops out of Boulkessi, an isolated camp in the center of Mali, so that they could be relieved.

After leaving the camp, the convoy was ambushed, but “24-hour intelligence” and intervention by French warplanes and helicopters enabled all the troops to get back safely, according to a report by French military headquarters.

(https://www.thedefensepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/g5-sahel-commander-namata-barkhane.jpg)
The Commander of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, Niger’s Brigadier General Oumarou Namata, meets French troops deployed to Operation Barkhane. Image: État-major des armées

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A senior source at the G5 Sahel admitted that lack of air power and intelligence resources such as this were crucial problems.

“We don’t have the air capability which is vital for anti-terrorist campaigns, or technological means of intelligence,” the source said.

On January 13 this year, at a summit on Sahel security in the southwestern French town of Pau, Chad vowed to send a battalion to the “tri-border” region — a notoriously lawless area straddling the frontiers of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

But the ground-breaking promise has yet to be fulfilled.

Chadian government spokesman Cherif Mahamat Zene told AFP that preparations “are on schedule” for sending the army’s 8th Battalion, but its dispatch depends on “a certain number of factors… which are currently under discussion,” which he hoped would conclude shortly.

Despite these problems, Ibrahim Yahya Ibrahim of the International Crisis Group (ICG) thinktank, pointing to a fall in attacks, said “in 2020, the armed forces got on top of” the jihadists.

But he asked whether this would last, given the “highs and lows” in a grinding and costly campaign.

“One thing is for sure — the armed groups have not been wiped out.”
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Dezembro 29, 2020, 10:55:13 am
Mina artesanal mata três soldados franceses no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Janeiro 03, 2021, 11:00:37 am
Ataque no Mali mata dois soldados franceses


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Janeiro 05, 2021, 04:24:11 pm
Luto no Niger e homenagem a franceses mortos no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Abril 22, 2021, 09:58:35 am
Sempre apreciei o Long Range Desert Group (LRDG)... o original "Libyan Desert Taxi Service".

Long Range Reconnaissance Group Completes Deterrence Operation in Mali (https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2021/04/op-seka-mali/)

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Troops have returned from a successful month-long operation to conducting deep reconnaissance and deterring terrorist groups in Mali.

(https://www.army.mod.uk/media/12045/pjhq-newcombe-seka-lrrg-20210224-054.jpeg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=1903&height=889&rnd=132622754250000000)

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The Long Range Recce Group (Mali) deployed on Op SEKA, from their base in Gao, with orders to recce the area of operations, to protect the local population and deter hostile activity.

During the deployment, the group covered more than 1500km and visited more than 60 villages to conduct local engagement.

As part of the UK’s commitment to the UN operation in Mali (MINUSMA) troops from the Light Dragoons and 2 Royal Anglian deployed on Op SEKA, a security operation to provide enhanced and enduring security along the main supply route from GAO to Ansongo and the surrounding areas.

Op SEKA worked with partner contributing troops and civilians from other UN nations – including Mali - to enable a persistent presence which deterred violent activity and ensured freedom of movement for friendly forces, and protection for local communities.

This has enabled the LRRG(M) - as part of the wider mission - to prevent, anticipate and rapidly react to threats against civilians and increase security in the region.

After a month long patrol, covering 1500km in 40 degree heat, our hard work paid off with a significant reduction in violence against the locals and prevented the terrorist groups from moving and acting with impunity.  Lt Col Tom Robinson - Commanding Officer, Light Dragoons

The off-road manoeuvrability of the Light Dragoons Jackal 2 and Coyote, vehicles enabled the task group probe deep over incredibly challenging terrain in 40 degree heat to engage with the local population in remote areas, not previously reached by security forces;  while Foxhounds of the 2 Company Royal Anglian were used in the large population centres on the Main Supply Route, all to enable an understanding of the needs of local communities.

Throughout the Operation British troops worked with UN soldiers from countries such as Sweden, Norway, Germany, Nigeria, Mali and France to help shape operations and co-ordinate activity in the region. This is an essential part of the MINUSMA mission to ensure the force is united in its effort to bring peace and stability to the region.

Op SEKA was hugely successful and has provided opportunities for the Task Group to work with other nations in ensuring the protection of civilians and the deterrence of armed groups. Local people also said they felt safer as a result of the work of the LRRG.

As well as troops in Gao, there are UK forces in the capital Bamako, and a CH47 (Chinook) force supporting the French on their operation in Mali – known as Op BARKHANE.

The training of the LRRG, using lessons learned from UK experience on other operations, has prepared the Group for more widespread threats across the country.

Lieutenant Colonel Tom Robinson, Commanding Officer of the Light Dragoons, said:

“Op SEKA was our first opportunity to make a real contribution to the UN mission. We did this by focussing our efforts on understanding what the challenging security situation meant to the local population and how best we, our UN partner forces and the civilian mission together could help address them.

“After a month long patrol, covering 1500km in 40 degree heat, our hard work paid off with a significant reduction in violence against the locals and prevented the terrorist groups from moving and acting with impunity.”

The UK commitment to Mali demonstrates the kind of deployments which will be increasing as part of Future Soldier, the Army’s transformation plan. The Army will not just train in case of war but will be continuously working to keep the country safe. Having more regularly deployed troops– ‘persistent presence’ – gives us the ability to anticipate and react quicker to emerging crises.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Maio 03, 2021, 09:35:59 am
Notícia (https://www.cmjornal.pt/mundo/africa/detalhe/tropa-de-elite-portuguesa-regressa-ao-mali-em-missao-contraterrorismo?ref=Portugal_DestaquesPrincipais) apenas para assinantes; sendo que "cada SOTU tem organicamente 16 elementos" (e vão 14), não há reforço sniper e devem ter adaptado a orgânica especificamente para a missão.   

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Tropa de elite portuguesa regressa ao Mali em missão contraterrorismo
Total de 14 militares na força-tarefa ‘Takuba’. Forças Armadas na luta contra o terror de Boko Haram, Daesh e Al-Qaeda.

(https://cdn.cmjornal.pt/images/2021-05/img_900x509$2021_05_02_22_50_50_1035480.jpg)
Força conta com apoio de helicópteros e de um C130 suecos
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lightning em Maio 03, 2021, 12:22:48 pm
Que jornal é?
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Maio 03, 2021, 12:49:45 pm
Correio da Manhã, acesso restrito a assinantes - já rectifiquei link  :-[
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: PMFM em Maio 03, 2021, 01:51:13 pm
Segue a notícia completa, para quem tiver curiosidade:

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Tropa de elite portuguesa regressa ao Mali em missão contraterrorismo

Total de 14 militares na força-tarefa ‘Takuba’. Forças Armadas na luta contra o terror de Boko Haram, Daesh e Al-Qaeda.

(https://cdn.cmjornal.pt/images/2021-05/originalsize$2021_05_02_22_50_50_1035480.jpg)

Portugal vai enviar em breve uma equipa de 12 militares de operações especiais do Exército para a força-tarefa "Takuba", no Mali, que conta com tropas de elite de nove países europeus e está integrada na operação francesa "Barkhane" de combate ao terrorismo no Sahel, faixa que atravessa vários países africanos e que tem sido aterrorizada pelos grupos Boko Haram, Daesh e Al-Qaeda no Magrebe Islâmico, apurou o CM.

"A TF 'Takuba' é comandada por um oficial francês , atua na dependência do comando da operação 'Barkhane' e tem como missão contribuir para a estabiização do continente africano e do Sahel em particular, prestando aconselhamento, assistência e acompanhamento às Forças Armadas do Mali", confirmou ao CM fonte oficial do Estado-Maior-General das Forças Armadas, que não dá pormenores sobre a origem dos militares que vão integrar a missão - mas que sabemos serem inicialmente dos "Rangers" de Lamego e que, provavelmente, farão rendições com fuzileiros do Destacamento de Ações Especiais da Marinha.

"No âmbito das Forças Nacionais Destacadas 2021, Portugal deverá participar na TF 'Takuba', numa fase inicial, com dois militares em funções de Estado-Maior no Comando da Missão, e, posteriormente, com mais 12 militares de operações especiais, que integrarão um grupo-tarefa combinado com França", explica o EMGFA. Os dois primeiros militares são do Exército e da Marinha, destacados pelo Comando Conjunto para as Operações Militares português. O empenhamento será de um ano, que será renovável.

A 'Takuba' vai ainda colaborar com outras missões, nomeadamente a G5 Sahel, a MINUSMA e as da União Europeia (EUTM Mali, EUCAP Mali e EUCAP Níger), sendo que Portugal participará na maioria. Já este mês, Portugal vai enviar para serviço da MINUSMA um avião C295 e uma equipa de manutenção e proteção de força, no total de quase 70 militares da Força Aérea.

 :arrow: Fonte: https://www.cmjornal.pt/mundo/africa/detalhe/tropa-de-elite-portuguesa-regressa-ao-mali-em-missao-contraterrorismo (https://www.cmjornal.pt/mundo/africa/detalhe/tropa-de-elite-portuguesa-regressa-ao-mali-em-missao-contraterrorismo)
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: smg em Maio 12, 2021, 09:27:18 pm
Boa noite . Numa altura em que militares portugueses estão prestes a juntar-se à Força Takuba , deixo aqui um vídeo da PARIS MATCH sobre essa missão que visa formar e depois acompanhar no terreno as tropas malianas . Um abraço .
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Setembro 16, 2021, 10:38:49 am
França anuncia a morte do líder do Estado Islâmico no Saara


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Dezembro 16, 2021, 12:46:52 pm
Não iamos participar...? Ou enviamos, como de costume, uns pares de graduados para "observar e coordenar"?


Europe Builds Up Mali Force as France Draws Down Troops (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/12/16/europe-builds-mali-force/)

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France’s military camps in Mali are going quiet as Paris winds down its security presence in the restive West African country, but there is one notable exception.

Menaka is bustling with activity, boasting brand-new tents, freshly dug trenches, and choppers taking off and landing in a constant ballet in the sky.

What was once a quaint army base in France’s Barkhane anti-jihadist operation is rapidly turning into a cornerstone of Takuba, the European force that is to pick up the slack from France’s partial disengagement.

The footprint of the camp in northeast Mali has already grown to 30 hectares (75 acres) from the eight it had before, said Captain Josselin as he navigated his way through the busy construction vehicles.

Takuba, made up of European special forces, is based on an initiative by France, eager to share the burden of looking after Mali’s security with its partners.

Takuba’s 900 soldiers are to help Mali’s army acquire the combat skills necessary to become self-reliant, a daunting task given the volatile situation on the ground.

Even after years of a foreign troop presence, jihadists in this border region of the Sahel between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso continue their incursions and harassment actions.

A week ago, a rocket landed in the camp, though it failed to explode. The day before another multi-national camp, at Gao, became the target of a mortar attack.

Menaka, usually flooded during the rainy season, has seen some major renovation work.

The camp is now crossed by long, well-kept paths. Apart from the usual conversations in French, there is now Czech, Danish, Italian and English heard in the camp, a sign of its international status.

At the new air transport zone, heavy Chinook helicopters from Italy and Swedish Blackhawks share the space. A few kilometers away, an abandoned landing strip has been renovated, ready for the army’s air operations.

(https://www.thedefensepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/menaka-camp-is-bustling-activity-afp-1170x610.jpg)

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‘Takubar’

Well-equipped fitness rooms, catering areas with TVs, and a foyer — cleverly called “Takubar” — are to help make the soldiers’ tour as agreeable as possible in this semi-desert environment.

French President Emmanuel Macron, eager to draw down France’s troops in Mali after nine years of presence here, ordered the evacuation of the three northerly camps, Timbuktu, Kidal, and Tessalit, whose tasks are to be taken over by a joint fighting force.

Takuba, which after Menaka and Gao may get more bases such as Gossi in the northeast, spearheads French efforts to commit its European partners to the anti-jihadist fight.

The head of Takuba’s operations, a French lieutenant-colonel named Gregory, said it advises, assists and accompanies Malian forces who are hoping to win back areas over which the central government lost control.

“All member nations have understood the idea of the mission, although they come from different backgrounds,” he told AFP, giving only his first name as is custom among military personnel.

Meanwhile, in a neighboring Malian army camp, a group of French special forces was training local soldiers how to carry out checks on a vehicle transporting potential hostiles.

“Move! Hands in the air! Turn around!” one soldier shouts at another one who plays the suspect’s part, with a masked instructor advising him on body search procedure and safe distances to be observed.

Marine Lieutenant Rozen, head of the French-Czech task force operating here, said it accompanied the Malian forces six months at a time.

“We train them, and then we accompany them on increasingly complex missions,” he said, such as disarming improvised explosive devices, discreetly patrolling villages, and searching potential hideouts.

The troops’ morale is intact despite tensions with the regime in Bamako, which has rejected an offer of additional UN peacekeepers.

The government is instead looking to the Wagner Group, a private Russian paramilitary unit that is the target of US and European Union sanctions.

Any actual deployment of the Wagner mercenaries on the ground here could well be a deal-breaker for the European allies.

Macron is trying to talk the government in Bamako out of such a plan but until he succeeds, there is a huge question mark over Takuba’s future.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Janeiro 03, 2022, 06:31:00 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/Kn80zXA.jpg)
Des soldats de la force européenne Takuba, une force opérationnelle qui consiste à lutter contre les groupes armés terroristes notamment en Afrique, défilent sur les Champs-Élysées le 14 juillet 2021 à Paris. AP/ Lewis Joly

Entretien. Jeudi 23 décembre, la France et quatorze partenaires internationaux ont publié un communiqué conjoint pour condamner la présence soupçonnée des "mercenaires" russes de Wagner, au Mali. Quelles seraient les conséquences d'un déploiement russe pour les forces occidentales ? Réponses avec le Général Bruno Clément-Bollée. (https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/wagner-au-mali-437810)
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Janeiro 19, 2022, 12:16:03 pm
Danish Soldiers Deploy to Troubled Mali (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/01/18/denmark-troops-mali/)

(https://www.thedefensepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/denmark-merlin-barkhane-EOUHu25WoAEM7aw-1170x610.jpg)
Danish Merlin helicopters deployed to the France-led Operation Barkhane in the Sahel. Image: @EtatMajorFR/Twitter

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A contingent of some 90 Danish soldiers has arrived in Mali to join European special forces supporting the country’s anti-jihadist operations, Denmark’s military said Tuesday.

The contingent, whose deployment was announced in April, is stationed in Menaka in eastern Mali. Its mandate runs until early 2023.

“The aim is to stabilize Mali and parts of the Liptako-Gourma tri-border area between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso and to ensure the protection of civilians against terrorist groups,” the armed forces said in a statement.

Denmark has previously sent troops to participate in military interventions in Mali, some with the UN’s MINUSMA peacekeeping force and others with the French-led Operation Barkhane.

The new contingent is joining Task Force Takuba — a 900-troop French-led unit launched in March 2020.

Other contributors are the Netherlands, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, and Hungary.

European countries have raised concern over the deployment of mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group on Malian soil and Mali’s delayed return to civilian rule after a military coup in August 2020.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Fevereiro 14, 2022, 06:06:47 pm
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Fevereiro 14, 2022, 10:38:24 pm
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Fevereiro 16, 2022, 08:30:33 pm
António Costa vai participar num jantar no Palácio do Eliseu ao lado de outros parceiros europeus com militares envolvidos na força de intervenção Takuba que opera atualmente no Mali. (https://observador.pt/2022/02/16/primeiro-ministro-em-paris-esta-quarta-feira-para-jantar-sobre-futuro-das-forcas-europeias-no-sahel/)
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Kalil em Fevereiro 18, 2022, 12:13:56 am
https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2022/02/16/au-sahel-retrait-francais-du-mali-et-reorganisation-regionale-en-vue_6113916_3212.html (https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2022/02/16/au-sahel-retrait-francais-du-mali-et-reorganisation-regionale-en-vue_6113916_3212.html)
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lightning em Fevereiro 20, 2022, 03:22:40 pm

Depois de ter visto este video fiquei com a ideia, se estrategicamente queremos alinhar ao lado da França nas questões africanas, militarmente o Super Tucano faz sentido, e até apostar mais em viaturas militares de rodas em vez de lagartas, se para a França uma logistica mais simples e barata faz sentido, para nós ainda faz mais, mas repito, se realmente tivermos intenção de andarmos a par dos franceses.

Estes artigos podem ajudar
https://www.dn.pt/mundo/portugal-no-sahel-inevitavel-12284203.html

https://www.dn.pt/opiniao/portugal-takuba-2022-13942413.html
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Fevereiro 20, 2022, 04:06:38 pm
Mesmo querendo - e tem a sua lógica - ser parceiros dos franceses contra extremismos islâmico em África... ter Super Tucanos mas não ter capacidade de helicópteros é discutível; e as "rodas" dos franceses são de 2 segmentos muito diferentes: de um lado o equivalente aos nossos Pandur (e temos mais que suficientes para FND de infantaria Mecanizada Rodas) e outro lado IFV de rodas mas para acompanhar Carros de Combate... que nós não temos.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: typhonman em Fevereiro 20, 2022, 04:12:48 pm
Mesmo querendo - e tem a sua lógica - ser parceiros dos franceses contra extremismos islâmico em África... ter Super Tucanos mas não ter capacidade de helicópteros é discutível; e as "rodas" dos franceses são de 2 segmentos muito diferentes: de um lado o equivalente aos nossos Pandur (e temos mais que suficientes para FND de infantaria Mecanizada Rodas) e outro lado IFV para acompanhar Carros de Combate... que nos não temos.

Completamente discutível, investir 250 milhões em Tucanos, só para enviar 2 ou 3 para o Mali.
Para isso, comprem UH-60 armados, com Hydra. Hellfire e canhões....
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lightning em Fevereiro 20, 2022, 10:52:41 pm
Pois sem helis não temos uma FND completamente autónoma, mas isso já é o normal, fornecermos "módulos" ou "capacidades" que depois se ligam a outros de outros países em contexto de uma força multinacional, sejam as forças de intervenção, seja aviões de carga, os Super Tucano seriam mais uma capacidade.

Foi mais ao ver no video os helis gazelle a combater as pick ups, pensei logo, se andasse ali uma parelha de ST armada...
E como não parece que o terrorismo por África acabe tão cedo, Portugal é que pode não ter vontade política de se meter em acções tão bélicas, a primeira notícia se um avião português a bombardear o que quer que seja em África vai logo causar acusações de colonialismo.

E se este avião tiver capacidade de instrucao para substituir os Alpha Jet na esquadra 103...
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Fevereiro 20, 2022, 11:02:19 pm
Um país minimamente decente não pode ter apenas meia duzia de Koalas monomotor civis e os EH-101 dedicados ao SAR... tem de ter um mínimo de capacidade de helicópteros médios.

Se escolha for entre ter ST (mesmo que tb cumpram valência treino) ou Blackhawaks (usados)... venham os helicópteros.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Abril 22, 2022, 11:05:06 pm
França acusa mercenários russos de “ataque de informação” no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Maio 04, 2022, 05:15:02 pm
UE lamenta que o Mali vire as costas aos parceiros tradicionais


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Junho 21, 2022, 05:45:19 pm
Massacre no Mali mata mais de uma centena de civis


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Junho 30, 2022, 03:56:33 pm
ONU renova missão no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Julho 04, 2022, 03:31:41 pm
EU’s Takuba Anti-Terror Force Quits Junta-Controlled Mali (https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/07/01/eu-takuba-quits-mali/)

Citar
The French-led Takuba task force of EU special forces has officially ceased operating in Mali, France announced Friday, ending a year-long anti-jihadist effort that soured after two military coups overthrew the civilian government.

Takuba, operating with France’s Barkhane mission, was set up after President Emmanuel Macron sought more help from European allies for the anti-terror campaign in the Sahel.

French army spokesman General Pascal Ianni told journalists that Barkhane and Takuba had showed what “Europeans can accomplish together in complicated security environments,” with on-the-ground experience that would be critical for future joint operations.

But “the reorganisation of the French military presence in the Sahel… led to the end of operations for Takuba in Mali as of June 30,” he said.

Announced in late 2019, Takuba at its peak brought together nearly 900 elite troops from nine of France’s allies — Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.

Alongside the Barkhane force that at one point reached 5,100 soldiers, Takuba aimed to train and reinforce local armies trying to counter bloody insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group.

But despite tactical successes such as the killings of some top jihadist leaders, the governments of the so-called G5 Sahel nations — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — have struggled to curtail the attacks against both military and civilian targets.

In Mali in particular, two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021 resulted in diplomatic tensions with France.

The deterioration accelerated when the ruling junta in Bamako developed closer ties with Moscow, bringing in military personnel that France says are mercenaries form Russia’s Wagner group.

Macron in February announced a full pullout of both Barkhane and Takuba from Mali, but said French forces would remain in the Sahel in a new configuration.

Since then IS-linked jihadists, whose power was once thought to be waning in the Sahel, have expanded their reach while carrying out an unprecedented series of civilian massacres.

Mali remains supported by a United Nations peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, which has some 13,000 soldiers and nearly 2,000 police.

MINUSMA’s mandate was renewed on Wednesday for a further year by the Security Council.

However, the force no longer has French air support, the offer of which was rejected by Mali.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Março 25, 2023, 10:45:58 pm
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Abril 23, 2023, 01:14:39 pm
Ressurgimento do terrorismo no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: goldfinger em Abril 23, 2023, 07:24:44 pm
Un Mi-35 de Malí se ha estrellado en Bamako.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FuU8_ANWAAM3GyF?format=jpg&name=large)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FuU_sd-WIAIAINm?format=jpg&name=large)
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Setembro 03, 2023, 03:43:32 pm
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Fevereiro 27, 2024, 08:19:37 pm
Família italiana libertada após quase dois anos em cativeiro no Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lusitano89 em Fevereiro 29, 2024, 06:27:57 pm
Guerras Secretas Reveladas: Guerra no Deserto do Mali


Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: LM em Março 26, 2024, 12:56:03 pm
O Sahel e a África Ocidental: os perigos e as ameaças na proximidade da Europa (e de Portugal) (https://www.dn.pt/2162986652/o-sahel-e-a-africa-ocidental-os-perigos-e-as-ameacas-na-proximidade-da-europa-e-de-portugal/)

Com as guerras na Ucrânia e no Médio Oriente em curso, com praticamente todo o foco ocidental aí colocado, há desenvolvimentos em África, nomeadamente no Sahel e África Ocidental, onde incluímos o Golfo da Guiné (GdG), que têm de ser estrategicamente monitorizadas e que vão exigir respostas rápidas. Isto porque o fenómeno jihadista radical se tem implantado e desenvolvido de forma brutal na região. África sofre com a presença ativa de grupos jihadistas salafistas em todas as sub-regiões que compõem o continente.

A Al Qaeda (AQ) e o Estado Islâmico (EI), os dois principais atores que lideram o jihadismo global atualmente, estão presentes na região, competindo entre si, mas ao mesmo tempo reforçando sua presença e o seu modelo de atuação, onde constituem ameaças sérias aos Estados, e às várias organizações sub-regionais, que continuam a tentar desenhar respostas a esta ameaça, cada vez mais perigosa e letal, mas sem grande sucesso no terreno. Contudo, a situação mais descontrolada é mesmo o Sahel e alguns países do Golfo da Guiné, tais como o Benim, o Togo e a Nigéria.

Existem, na região, quatro grandes grupos terroristas jihadistas. A Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM), que significa “o grupo de apoio ao Islão e aos muçulmanos”, é uma organização chapéu de vários grupos alinhados com a Al-Qaeda e está presente no Mali, no Níger e no Burkina Faso. O Estado Islâmico no Grande Sara (ISGS) é o braço regional do EI, que começou a surgir em 2015-2016. Tem estado ativo no Níger, no norte do Mali, bem como no Burkina Faso e tem uma relação de tensão/competição com a JNIM. O Estado Islâmico da Província da África Ocidental (ISWAP), originalmente um derivado da organização nigeriana Boko Haram, está ativo principalmente na Região do Lago Chade. Semelhante ao ISGS, constitui uma província oficial do EI, embora a hierarquia entre o ISGS e o ISWAP não seja clara. O ISWAP, ao contrário do Boko Haram, é conhecido pela sua capacidade de substituir o Estado na prestação de serviços públicos básicos, administra e cobra impostos, de forma muito sistemática, sobre os territórios que controla. E, por fim, o nosso conhecido Hezbollah que é, simultaneamente, um partido político xiita libanês e uma organização terrorista, com uma estrutura paramilitar bem equipada e muito ativa no Médio Oriente. Está presente na África Ocidental através de diásporas libanesas e outras diásporas economicamente poderosas. O Hezbollah, como organização terrorista, é muito menos ativo na África Ocidental do que no Médio Oriente, mas mantém redes de financiamento e lavagem de dinheiro conectadas ao comércio de ouro, drogas e diamantes na região, em países como Guiné, Costa do Marfim ou Serra Leoa.

As relações entre as redes terroristas e de crime organizado transnacional, na África Ocidental, no Sahel e no GdG, apresentam um dos desafios de segurança mais significativos na atualidade. Estas redes comprometem a governação e o Estado de Direito e cooperam, a vários níveis, numa complexa rede de interesses mutuamente benéficos, altamente disruptiva da segurança e estabilidade da região. A estas redes junta-se a pirataria marítima no GdG, com sério impacto na segurança marítima na região e onde os proveitos desta atividade ilícita contribuem para o crime organizado e para financiar o terrorismo.

Por conseguinte, o combate a esta tríade, relacional e operacional, deve envolver a recuperação do controlo territorial dos grupos terroristas pelos Estados, garantir as capacidades para assegurar a segurança marítima do GdG, bem como o reforço das estruturas de governança dos Estados e das organizações regionais e sub-regionais. Estes objetivos devem ser atingidos de forma coerente e integrada, com o apoio dos Estados Unidos, da UE e dos países europeus e outros, em mecanismos de cooperação multidimensional, bilateral ou multilateral, com os países e as organizações da região.
Outra questão, que tem comprometido seriamente a luta contra o terrorismo, tem sido a competição geopolítica global, com impacto em África, nomeadamente a que envolve a Rússia contra o Ocidente, em especial contra a França, e mais recentemente, os EUA. A dinâmica da geopolítica russa referente à África subsariana tem conduzido a acordos bilaterais com diversos países, que têm levado à rotura das relações bilaterais entre quase todos os países da África da francofonia e a França, país que assegurava muito do combate contra o movimento jihadista radical, nomeadamente através do G5 - Sahel e das Operações Barkane e Takuba, sendo estas últimas operações contraterroristas lideradas pela França, sendo a Takuba multinacional e envolvendo países europeus, entre os quais Portugal. Em simultâneo, há serias preocupações com a sequência de golpes de Estado em diversos países do Sahel e da África Ocidental, com suspeitas, fundadas, de que a Rússia tenha patrocinado estas mudanças de poder. E este modus operandi russo tem sido especialmente assertivo no Sahel, nomeadamente no Mali, no Níger e no Burkina Faso, onde os golpes de Estado levaram à saída das forças francesas e algumas internacionais, dando espaço à progressão do terrorismo. As operações contraterroristas levadas a efeito pelos países do Sahel e pela Rússia, fruto de provocarem elevadas baixas entre as populações civis, têm contribuído mais para dar força aos terroristas do que para contê-los.

O ISGS começou a ressurgir na área da tripla fronteira do Burkina Faso, Mali e Níger, após a retirada das forças francesas em 2021, tendo duplicado as suas áreas de atuação entre 2022 e 2023. Existem informações que poderá estar para ser criado um califado na região, com o controlo duma extensa área e das suas populações, estabelecendo-se como um centro de treino para combatentes estrangeiros do norte da África e da Europa, o que aumenta exponencialmente o risco de ameaça transnacional deste grupo.

O Sahel, a África Ocidental e o Golfo da Guiné, apesar de terem tido uma importância geoestratégica secundária para a União Europeia, tem estado a cair na órbita da Rússia, o que deverá constituir uma preocupação estratégica fundamental na contenção global deste país, como ameaça à segurança e estabilidade do continente europeu. Os riscos da criação dum Califado no Sahel, como centro exportador de terrorismo transnacional para a Europa, a que se aliam os riscos dum incremento das migrações ilegais para o nosso continente, fruto duma disrupção da capacidade de as populações locais sobreviverem numa zona de elevada conflitualidade, mais a insegurança marítima no GdG, centro de gravidade estratégico da construção duma maior autonomia energética da Europa, tem de levar os europeus a verem esta situação como muito séria.

O risco de termos, no nosso flanco sul próximo, uma situação pior que a da Síria/Iraque ou do Afeganistão no passado, em termos de terrorismo e fluxos migratórios, é deveras preocupante, mas real. Está bem mais perto de Portugal e virá, com certeza, a exigir uma partilha, de forma adequada, do trabalho estratégico europeu e aliado, entre os flancos Leste e o Sul, para se garantir a segurança desta nossa Europa e das suas áreas contíguas.

Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lightning em Março 27, 2024, 06:56:00 pm
Ainda não tinha muito associado as duas situações, mas agora fiquei com uma melhor ideia do porquê da França ser dos paises europeus mais "agressivos" contra a Rússia na invasão da Ucrânia.

É que a Rússia está a expulsar a França da sua área de influencia em África, por isso já está a haver uma rivalidade Rússia vs França mas nesta região do mundo. E não é apenas ter "influencia" nos governos, é que por exemplo o Niger é dos principais fornecedores de uranio à França e o Mali de ouro. E ter estas matérias primas a cair nas mãos da Rússia, ou de grupos terroristas que andam ali pelo Sahel, é perigoso do ponto de vista da França.

Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lampuka em Março 27, 2024, 08:08:55 pm
Penso que a França acordou tarde... vamos ver.
Quanto a essa "agressividade" também pode ser vista como uma forma de pressionar os EUA que agora têm "gaguejado" um pouco no apoio quando inicialmente eram eles os líderes nas decisões.
A França disponibiliza-se a ir para o terreno quando outros nem os apoios mantêm. Macron está a jogar alto...
Relativamente a África já tinha por aqui referido que a Europa está a ser completamente ultrapassada na influência que detinha nesse continente, até por razões históricas.
A economia europeia vai certamente ressentir-se de mais este golpe e terá de procurar alternativas.
E atenção, não é só a Rússia que está a ocupar este espaço. A China e os EUA também estão.
Título: Re: Africa - G5 Sahel
Enviado por: Lampuka em Março 28, 2024, 03:23:04 pm
O Senegal aparenta ser a próxima saída de cena dos franceses.
Depois das eleições já há as primeiras "escaramuças" nos discursos...