Recent French Armed Forces losses in the Sahel have given rise to a debate regarding France’s posture in the Sahel. France launched the “Operation Serval” in January 2013 to support the Malian government in the face of insurgencies and Tuareg separatism in the North. The so-called “Operation Barkhane” followed in August 2014, targeting jihadists in the entire Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Tchad (“G5 Sahel”).