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Barkhane Operation

The Sahel is a war of distances. From the air base at Niamey to the outposts of Gao, Ansongo and Kidal, Barkhane Operation stretched across a territory the size of Europe, in pursuit of an enemy who dissolves into the sand and the villages.

Launched in 2014 and concluded in 2022, France’s counter-terrorism operation was fought as much against the land itself — the heat, the dust, the immensity — as against the men it hunted. These photographs were made alongside French forces in Mali and Niger, in 2015, 2018 and 2021.

French soldiers board a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter at Gao air base, Mali — Gao, Mali. Boarding a British Chinook at the epicentre of the operation.

French commandos prepare to go on a mission at the Gao base, Mali — Gao, Mali. Commando prepare to go on mission.

French commandos prepare to go on a mission at Gao, Mali — Gao, Mali. Commando prepare to go on mission.

Seen from a helicopter cockpit, a British Chinook flies over the Niger River in Mali — The Niger River, seen from the cockpit.

French soldiers rest inside an armoured vehicle during an operation in the Sahel, April 2021 — Sahel, April 2021. Sleep, wherever it can be taken.

French forces on a mission in the Three-Border region of the Sahel, April 2021 — Sahel, April 2021. Mission in “Three-Border” region.

French paratroopers sleep on cots in the desert during Barkhane Operation, April 2021 — Sahel, April 2021. The paratroopers sleep on cots in the desert.

French forces during Barkhane Operation in the Sahel, April 2021 — Sahel, April 2021.

Chadian soldiers of the G5 Sahel joint force on their vehicle — Chadian soldiers from the G5 Sahel military force.

A French medical armoured vehicle on the road to Ansongo, Mali, as a woman passes carrying a bucket on her head — On the road for Ansongo, December 2015.

Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger, a rear base of Barkhane Operation — Air Base 101, Niamey, Niger.

French forces in Kidal, northern Mali, during Barkhane Operation — Kidal, northern Mali.