Operation Serval

Overview

Operation Serval was a French military operation to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of the country.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Serval was launched by France on January 11, 2013, in response to an advance by Islamic militants from northern Mali into the center of the country. A French force of approximately 4,000 personnel intervened to halt this push and roll back militant control in the north. The operation targeted groups including MOJWA and associated factions, whose combined strength was estimated at around 5,000 fighters. Casualties among the militant forces reached approximately 1,000. The intervention marked a direct commitment of French military power to the Mali War, arresting a militant offensive that threatened to extend Islamist control beyond the northern territories they had held since 2012. By deploying ground forces and engaging the militants directly, France assumed a leading role in stabilizing the Malian state, which had been weakened by a coup earlier in the conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (10)