For years, SOFREP has been monitoring France’s activities in Europe and Africa.

The region has been in the middle of two military regions, Europe (NATO) and Africa, and, understandably, defending its territories could be challenging. But recent decisions of French Emmanuel Macron regarding military deployment leave many questioning his intention and strategies.

In 2020, the French government aimed to cut back on its military presence in the Sahel region to “make room for a stronger European commitment.” This happened after a year of the government spending resources to send their troops to Sahel. The last headcount was about 5,100, who reportedly participated in “Operation Barkhane,” which aims to fight the growing regional jihadist insurgency.

Defense Minister Florence Parly also visited Mali that year to assess the operations in Sahel and Mali. Since 2013, the French forces have been deployed to Mali (a former colony) to fight the Tuareg insurgency.