Operation Serval is now in full flight. More French troops and the equipment, arriving in Mali for a multinational operation in a British plane. But it’s the French taking the lead here, and if the fighting goes as they hope, it will follow a French plan.
President Hollande, speaking in the Gulf, told Sky News the basic strategy.
"We have a goal. It’s very simple, to obtain the withdrawal of terrorists and push them abroad, and we want that the African armies will come as soon as possible to take the place."
The President’s Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was in operational headquarters, overseeing a military strategy, which seems to have two stages.
First, France uses its helicopters and special forces at the Mopti air base and pushes the rebel fighters north across the River Niger. They hold them there, and in a few weeks’ time, when all the African troops are in position, they push the rebels further north towards the borders of Mauritania, Algeria and Niger. Those countries’ task / was patrolling their lengthy borders to prevent rebel fighters escaping.
The African troops from several countries are beginning to arrive, but this is just the first wave of senior officers involved in planning. Eventually, they are expected to be up to 3,500 soldiers under the command of an Algerian General.
Mali didn’t just ask the West to intervene, it asked Africa. And the neighboring countries fearing a projection of instability across the region have responded.
Success lies firstly with French muscles, specifically air power, but also the equipment they brought with them to the ground operation.
After the first stage, more of the fighting and dying will be done by the African troops. But France is already paying in blood and treasure. They've lost a helicopter pilot, 41-year-old Lt. Damien Boiteux. In this early stage, Mali does not look as if it could be France’s Afghanistan. France will lead and then hope Africans take over. However, Lt. Damien Boiteux is unlikely to be the only French fatality.
