By Huang Bing
黄冰
French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that France was officially ending its Operation Barkhane in Africa's Sahel region. After announcing the decision to pull back its anti-terror military forces from Mali in February, France said in August that the pullback was completed. The series of moves indicated Paris’ adjusted Africa strategy and triggered attention to and concern over the security situation in the Sahel.
法国总统马克龙日前宣布称，正式结束法国在非洲萨赫勒地区开展的“新月形沙丘”行动。今年2月，法国曾宣布从马里撤出参与反恐的军事力量，8月，法国宣布其在马里的撤军结束。法国的一系列举动，不仅折射出其对非战略调整，更引发各方对萨赫勒地区安全局势的关注和担忧。
France initiated Operation Barkhane in 2014 to combat the increasingly rampant terrorism in the Sahel, but despite the dispatched 5,500 French troops over a long eight years, the number of terrorist organizations in the region has risen instead of diminishing, dragging France into a seemingly bottomless mire. With the worsening relationship with the Mali transitional government, the rising anti-France sentiments in local areas, and the anti-terror dilemma, Paris has successively withdrawn military forces from the region this year. However, instead of representing a thorough wash-hands of the matter, the move is more a “tactical adjustment” than a “strategic withdrawal”.
2014年，为打击萨赫勒地区日渐猖獗的恐怖主义，法国发起“新月形沙丘”行动。然而耗时8年，派出约5500名法国士兵，萨赫勒地区的恐怖组织数量不降反增，法国深陷越反越恐的泥潭。出于与马里过渡政府交恶、地区反法情绪上升以及反恐陷入困境等原因，今年以来法国军事力量陆续撤出萨赫勒地区。但这并不意味着法国将撒手不管，相较于“战略撤退”，这更多的是一种“策略调整”。
Africa is home to most of France’s overseas interests and is where France best exerts its international influence. According to Macron, his country will roll out a new Africa strategy in the next six months after consulting with African allies. Judging by the previous statements and declarations made by the French government and military, its future anti-terror actions in Sahel may show the following changes and features.
非洲既是法国海外利益最集中的地区，也是其赖以发挥国际影响力所在。马克龙表示，法国将在与非洲盟国协商的基础上，在未来六个月内出台新的非洲战略。综合法国政府和军方此前的各种表态和声明，法国未来在萨赫勒地区的反恐行动或将呈现出以下转变和特点。
First, France will reduce its troops’ direct engagement in Africa and turn to rely more on the forces of Sahel countries as a way of “sharing responsibilities”. Macron has said many times that he hoped the Sahel countries will bear more responsibilities and exert their initiative. Early November this year, the Palais de l’Élysée made a public statement that they will scale back on military exposure in Africa and turn to support local armed forces with equipment, intelligence, and training. It’s possible that it will strengthen cooperation with Sahel countries by helping them train local anti-terror forces in the future.
其一，法国将减少法国军队在非洲的直接参与，转而更多依靠萨赫勒地区国家自身力量，强调“责任共担”。马克龙多次表态希望萨赫勒地区国家承担更多的责任，发挥主动性。今年11月初，爱丽舍宫也公开表示, “将减少我们军队在非洲的曝光度，转而为其提供装备、情报和训练方面的支持”。因此，未来法国或将重点放在加强与萨赫勒国家合作上，帮助其培育本土反恐力量。
Second, France will move from a mere military approach to a broader tactic. The rising intensity of terrorism in the Sahel despite years of combat has made France realize that military attacks alone are not enough to deal with the complicated situation there. During his African visit in July this year, Macron emphasized the food crisis and security, and publicly announced a plan to invest in education and culture in West Africa while strengthening economic and trade relations. Therefore, France may provide more aid to Sahel countries to help them achieve sustainable development in multiple areas, in hopes of tackling the terrorist threats in West Africa through comprehensive governance.
其二，改变单一军事手段，转而采取综合策略。萨赫勒地区越反越恐的现实，让法国意识到仅凭军事打击不足以应对地区复杂形势。今年7月，马克龙在访问非洲时就重点关注粮食危机和安全问题，并公开宣布“将在西非地区进行教育、文化投资，有意加强经济贸易关系”。因此，法国或将增加对萨赫勒地区国家的援助，在多领域助力其实现可持续发展，以期通过综合治理的方式应对西非地区的恐怖主义威胁。
Third, France wants to make up for its own deficiencies with the strengths of European allies. In recent years, France has made great efforts to draw near its European allies on the issue of counterterrorism in Africa. When meeting with Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, in 2019, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suggested the EU give more support to Sahel’s anti-terror actions. Under France’s aggressive diplomacy, the EU first promised a 50 million Euro aid along with weapons and training for the G5 Sahel Joint Force against terrorism, followed by another 194 million Euro aid announced in 2020. In January 2022, when Macro was elaborating on France’s policy stance as rotating chair of the EU Council, he hoped the EU could rebuild its partnership with Africa. Going forward, the country may continue to lobby the EU through various diplomatic activities into increasing support for Africa’s anti-terror cause.
其三，借助欧洲盟友力量以弥补自身不足。近年来，法国在非洲反恐问题上表现出明显的欧洲取向。2019年，法国外长勒德里昂在会见欧盟外交与安全政策高级代表博雷利时表示，欧盟应加大对萨赫勒地区反恐行动的支持。在法国的强势外交行动下，欧盟先是承诺出资5000万欧元并提供武器支持，同时帮助培训萨赫勒五国集团联合反恐部队，后又在2020年宣布追加1.94亿欧元的援助。今年1月，马克龙在阐述法国担任欧盟理事会轮值主席国期间的政策立场时，强调希望欧盟“重建与非洲的伙伴关系”。未来，法国或将继续通过多种外交活动游说欧盟增加对非洲反恐的支持力度。
At the same time, the international community is paying close attention to the security situation in Sahel. To effectively assess the regional situation and urge the international community to cope with the complicated challenges in the region, UN Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres and African leaders announced in September this year to form an Independent High-Level Panel on Security and Development in the Sahel. The region’s security situation has also entered the discussions of international organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union. In any case, there is still a long way to go and multi-party cooperation and contributions are required to realize lasting peace and security in the Sahel.
与此同时，国际社会也密切关注萨赫勒地区的安全局势。今年9月，为有效评估该地区局势并推动国际社会应对该地区面临的复杂挑战，联合国秘书长古特雷斯与非洲领导人宣布成立萨赫勒地区安全与发展问题独立高级别小组。萨赫勒地区安全局势也进入西共体、非盟等国际组织议题讨论范围。未来，萨赫勒地区的长治久安仍有很长一段路要走，需要多方合作贡献力量。
