Reactions to Emmanuel Macron's announcements on the French military presence in the Sahel

June 11, 2021

Reactions from members of the People’s Coalition for the Sahel after the announcement of a reorganization of France's military presence in the Sahel and the end of Operation Barkhane "as an external operation, replaced by an operation to provide support and cooperation to the armed forces of regional countries which so wish” by French President Emmanuel Macron on June 10, 2021.

Drissa Traoré, Coordinator of the joint Malian Association for Human Rights (AMDH)/International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) program:

"The counter-terrorism strategy as it has been carried out for the past 8 years in the Sahel has failed to ensure the security of the population. Year after year, the population is increasingly exposed to violence in many forms. The announcement of a reformatting of Operation Barkhane is an important step towards the change of approach that the People’s Coalition for the Sahel is calling for."

Sita Adamou, President of Association Nigérienne pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme (ANDDH) :

"For us, it is essential to put the protection of civilians back at the heart of the response. This means that the success of a military operation can no longer be measured by the number of "terrorists neutralized", as is still too often the case. The only measure that counts is the impact on the needs of the population. Are displaced families safer? Can children deprived of an education return to school? Are women less exposed to violence?"

Chrysogone Zougmore, President of Mouvement Burkinabé des Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples (MBDHP) :

"The purpose of a military intervention should be to re-establish trust between the state and the people. But this seems to have been forgotten and our populations are too often caught between jihadist attacks and the alleged exactions of certain soldiers. This is why we demand zero tolerance for abuses committed by representatives of the state, which only fuel the cycle of violence. This is a very concrete way to address the crisis of governance that undermines our countries."