Estonia joins France in Operation Barkhane (Mali)


The Estonian Parliament voted in favor of a commitment for the benefit of the French operation Barkhane. At the invitation of Mali and in liaison with France, Estonia will therefore deploy this summer 2018, 50 soldiers in Mali, for a period of one year. For the first time, a third country will be directly integrated into Operation Barkhane.


Estonia joins France in Operation Barkhane Mali
French troops operating in Mali for Opération Barkhane (Picture source: French MoD)


Minister of Armies Florence Parly welcomes this announcement. The Estonian commitment promises to reinforce already close bilateral cooperation. This commitment reflects an important convergence of strategic views, particularly on the threats to European security.

The French armies were already working alongside the Estonians in 2017 as part of NATO's eastern flanking reinsurance measures and the French contribution to the enhanced forward presence. France has decided to renew this contribution in Estonia in 2019. In addition, four French Mirage 2000-5s are currently stationed in Estonia at Amari Air Base, from where they contribute to the NATO sky police mission. in the sky of the three Baltic countries.

Operation Barkhane is an operation conducted in the Sahel and the Sahara by the French army, which aims to fight against armed Salafist jihadist groups throughout the Sahel region. Launched on August 1, 2014, it takes over the operations Serval and Epervier (Sparrowhawk).

It is part of a strategy of forces prepositioned in the region, in partnership with the States of the zone. It mobilizes several thousand soldiers against a few hundred jihadists. Since early 2018, some 4,500 French soldiers are involved locally in the operation.