OE Watch Commentary: On 22 March the Malian French-language website Journal du Mali, in the accompanying excerpt, published an interview with the French commander of the Barkhane Force, General Bruno Guibert, who is responsible for French military activities in the Sahel. Guibert’s emphasis is that he is in a military role and does not engage in politics, but that what he does militarily will have an impact on what happens in the political arena. According to the article, one of the challenges he has faced, however, is that he knows that there are some actors on the side of the Barkhane Force who are colluding with the terrorists that he is combatting.
Guibert also recognizes that terrorist activities have recently spread towards the south of Mali, largely because of jihadists co-opting intercommunal conflicts between Fulanis and ethnic other groups. This has become a major issue of concern. Guibert, however, only has responsibility for combatting terrorist groups in the north of Mali. The article states that the Barkhane Force has been hesitant to move towards central Mali and, according to Guibert, this is because the Malian authorities have not permitted his forces to operate there.
Despite the challenges, Guibert concludes the interview on a positive note. He says that as a result of the Barkhane Force’s military operations in the past few years, Mali is no longer a terrorist safe haven. There is, according to Guibert, no place in the country where terrorist groups are not at least being tracked. End OE Watch Commentary (Zenn)
“Barkhane is a military force. So I’m fighting, I’m not involved in politics, I do not position myself in the political arena even if I understand that military action has an impact on the political arena,” says the French General.
Barkhane has “evidence of collusion of some actors with terrorist groups. Suspicion of collusion was discussed after the strike in Abeibara that caused the death of Malian soldiers.” “It’s a difficult and complicated subject,” admits the chief of Barkhane.
The zone of instability has been moving for several months towards the south of the country. “If today we are not engaged in the center of Mali, it is because the Malian authorities did not wish for it,” explains General Guibert. “We act mainly in the north of Mali, because this is where some terrorists are concentrated, and the principals of these groups are in the north. For the moment, it is not expected that Barkhane will intervene in the center.”