Despite the announcement of his profound transformation,

On Thursday night, French army personnel announced that they had “neutralized” in Mali two heads of the Islamic State organization in the Greater Sahara: Rhissa al-Sahraoui and Abou Abderrahmane al-Sahraoui. When the end of his mission is announced, Barkhane maintains pressure on the terrorists.

“This new operation illustrates our determination to continue the fight against armed terrorist groups, concludes the press release from the French General Staff on 21 July. For several weeks, the discourse has been well established: Barkhane increases tactical success and maintains the pressure on terrorist groups.

“France makes sure it remains indispensable in the Sahel,” explains a security analyst. Without questioning the results of the latest operations, we feel that they are in operational seduction ”.

Because once Operation Barkhane has been announced, Paris must sell its new strategy: the European working group Takuba as a way out, the emergence of the Sahelian armies, Niger as a new strong partner and a firm refusal to negotiate with the terrorists.

But more and more voices are rising in the Sahel to ask for this dialogue. The security strategy is no longer convincing. According to a report published in May by Citizen Coalition for the Sahel, which brings together about fifty NGOs and civil society organizations from the region, the number of civilian casualties has increased sevenfold in the last four years in the Sahel.

Also for listening: Conversations on the news: [Vos réactions] Sahel: should we dialogue with the jihadists?

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