Operation ‘Serval’: A Strategic Analysis of the French Intervention in Mali, 2013–2014

Abstract

In 2013, France launched Operation ‘Serval’ to halt the southwards advance of Islamist insurgents in Mali. Using a Clausewitzian analytical framework, this article provides an assessment of France’s political and military aims in Mali and the degree to which they have been attained. Clear political goals, coordinated international diplomacy, an effective use of military force and blunders by the rebel forces turned ‘Serval’ into a short-term success. Strategically, however, the mission has proven unable to address the conflict’s underlying causes. Serval’s long-term effect is probably better measured by what it prevented than what it contributed.

Key Words:

• Mali
• Operation ‘Serval’
• Clausewitz
• Politics
• Strategy
• Chance
• Diplomacy

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Thijs Brocades Zaalberg and Antonin Tisseron for their valuable comments on an earlier draft of this article. They would also like to thank Thibault van Damme for his research assistance.

Notes

¹ Thomas Hofnung, ‘Mali: raid audiovisuel sur l’opération Serval’, Libération (16 Oct. 2013).

² Sarah Halifa-Legrand and Vincent Jauvert, ‘Mali: Les Secrets D’une Guerre Éclair’, L’Obs (11 June 2013).

³ In Serval’s wake, a regional counterterrorism operation has been launched labeled Operation ‘Barkhane’.

⁴ Grégory Chauzal, Commentary: Bamako’s New Government (The Hague: Clingendael 2015). <www.clingendael.nl/publication/commentary-bamako%E2%80%99s-new-government>.

⁵ Human Rights Watch, ‘World Report 2015: Mali’,/<www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/mali?page=1>.

⁶ ‘Terrorisme: après Serval au Mali, la France lance “Barkhane” au Sahel’, L’Obs (13 July 2014).

⁷ Michael Shurkin, France’s War in Mali: Lessons for an Expeditionary Army (Santa Monica, CA: RAND 2014).

⁸ Carl von Clausewitz, On War (New York: Everyman’s Library 1993), 101.

⁹ Beatrice Heuser, Reading Clausewitz (London: Pimlico 2002), x, 12–23.

¹⁰ Azar Gat, A History of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to the Cold War (Oxford / New York: OUP 2001), 201–2.

¹¹ Eugenio Diniz and Domício Proença Júnior, ‘A Criterion for Settling Inconsistencies in Clausewitz’s on War,’ Journal of Strategic Studies 37/6-7 (Dec. 2014), 879–902.

¹² Clausewitz, On War, 101.

¹³ Edward J. Villacres and Christopher Bassford, ‘Reclaiming the Clausewitzian Trinity’, Parameters 25/3 (1995), 13–14.

¹⁴ Mary Kaldor, ‘Inconclusive Wars: Is Clausewitz Still Relevant in These Global Times?’, Global Policy 1/3 (2010) 271–3; Martin van Creveld, On Future War (London: Brassey’s 1991), 40.

¹⁵ Colin S. Gray, ‘War - Continuity in Change, and Change in Continuity’, Parameters 40/2 (2010), 6-8; M.L.R. Smith, ‘Escalation in Irregular War: Using Strategic Theory to Examine from First Principles’, Journal of Strategic Studies 35/5 (Oct. 2012), 618.

¹⁶ Sebastian Kaempf, ‘Lost through Non-Translation: Bringing Clausewitz’s Writings on “New Wars” Back In’, Small Wars & Insurgencies 22/4 (2011), 548–73; Beatrice Heuser, ‘Small Wars in the Age of Clausewitz: The Watershed between Partisan War and People’s War’, Journal of Strategic Studies 33/1 (Feb. 2010), 139–60.

¹⁷ Clausewitz, On War, 83–87.

¹⁸ Ibid., 86–100.

¹⁹ Villacres and Bassford, ‘Reclaiming’, 13.

²⁰ Yael Brahms, ‘‘Get Real’ - a Pragmatic Approach to a Philosophical Debate on the Changing Nature of War’, Defense & Security Analysis 27/3 (2011), 225–35.

²¹ Heuser, Reading Clausewitz, 8–12.

²² Bart Schuurman, ‘Clausewitz and the “New Wars” Scholars’, Parameters 40/1 (2010), 95–9.

²³ Hussein Solomon, ‘Mali: West Africa’s Afghanistan’, RUSI Journal 158/1 (2013), 12–19.

²⁴ Sergei Boeke and Antonin Tisseron, ‘Mali’s Long Road Ahead’, RUSI Journal 159/5 (2014), 32–40.

²⁵ Ibid.

²⁶ Johanna Siméant and Laure Traoré, Mali: Le Putsch Et Le Nord Vus De Bamako (Paris: Sciences Po 2012), 1–8.

²⁷ Olivier J. Walther and Dimitris Christopoulos, ‘Islamic Terrorism and the Malian Rebellion’, Terrorism and Political Violence (Forthcoming), 3–5.

²⁸ Jean-Michel Bezat, ‘Areva Et La Bataille Mondiale Pour L’uranium’, Le Monde (7 October 2010).

²⁹ Radio France Internationale, ‘Attentats Au Niger: La Présence De Forces Spéciales Françaises N’a Pas Empêché L’attaque D’arlit’ (23 May 2013).

³⁰ Isabelle Lasserre and Thierry Oberlé, Notre Guerre Secrète Au Mali: Les Nouvelles Menaces Contre La France (Paris: Fayard 2013), 44.

³¹ Bill Roggio, ‘Foreign Jihadists Continue to Pour into Mali’, Threat Matrix: A Blog of the Long War Journal (27 Oct. 2012).

³² Bruno Tertrais, ‘Leading on the Cheap? French Security Policy in Austerity’, Washington Quarterly 36/3 (2013), 53.

³³ Ibid.

³⁴ Ibid., 98–9, 733.

³⁵ Romain Rosso, ‘Mali: Comment Paris Conduit La Guerre’, L’Express (31 Jan. 2013).

³⁶ European Union Delegation to the United Nations - New York, ‘EU Council Conclusions on Mali’ (17 Jan. 2013).

³⁷ Lori-Anne Théroux-Bénoni, ‘The Long Path to Minusma: Assessing the International Response to the Crisis in Mali’, in Thierry Tardy and Marco Wyss (eds.), Peacekeeping in Africa: The Evolving Security Architecture, ed. Wyss (Abingdon / New York: Routledge 2014), 171–89.

³⁸ United Nations Security Council, ‘Resolution 2056‘, (2012) 1–6.

³⁹ United Nations Security Council, ‘Resolution 2071‘ (2012), 1–4.

⁴⁰ United Nations, ‘Al-Qaida Sanctions List’ (2014).

⁴¹ Colum Lynch, ‘Rice: French Plan for Mali Intervention Is “Crap”’, Foreign Policy (11 Dec. 2012).

⁴² United Nations Security Council, ‘Resolution 2085’ (2012) 1–7.

⁴³ Zakia Abdennebi and Andrew Hammond, ‘U.N. Envoy Rules out International Action in Mali for Now’, Reuters (20 November 2012).

⁴⁴ See, for instance, an October 2012 statement by Foreign Minister Fabius: Parti Socialiste, ‘Laurent Fabius Sur Le Nord-Mali: <<Par Rapport Au Terrorisme, on Ne Peut Pas Transiger>>’, <www.parti-socialiste.fr/articles/laurent-fabius-sur-le-nord-mali-par-rapport-au-terrorisme-ne-peut-pas-transiger>.

⁴⁵ Vincent Jauvert and Sarah Halifa-Legrand, ‘Mali: Histoire Secrète D’une Guerre Surprise’, Le Nouvel Observateur (10 Feb. 2013).

⁴⁶ Rosso, ‘Mali.’

⁴⁷ Jauvert and Halifa-Legrand, ‘Mali: Histoire Secrète’.

⁴⁸ Ibid.

⁴⁹ Laurent Touchard, ‘Mali: Retour Sur La Bataille Décesive De Konna’, Jeune Afrique (30 Jan. 2014).

⁵⁰ Jauvert and Halifa-Legrand, ‘Mali: Histoire Secrète’.

⁵¹ ‘Mali Crisis: UN Calls for “Swift Deployment” of Troops’, BBC News (11 January 2013); Gérard Araud, ‘Mali - Remarks to the Press by Mr Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations’, <www.franceonu.org/france-at-the-united-nations/press-room/speaking-to-the-media/remarks-to-the-press/article/10-january-2013-mali-remarks-to>.

⁵² United Nations Security Council, ‘Security Council Press Statement on Mali’ (2013).

⁵³ François Hollande, ‘Declaration De M. Le Président De La République’ (11 Jan. 2013).

⁵⁴ Ministère de la Défense, ‘Conference De Presse Du Ministre De La Défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian’ (12 Jan. 2013).

⁵⁵ France Diplomatie, ‘Mali - Somalie - Russie - Entretien Du Ministre Des Affaires Étrangères, M. Laurent Fabius, Avec <<Le Grand Jury Rtl-Lci-Le Figaro>>’, (13 Jan. 2013).

⁵⁶ ‘Mali: Attaque Des Islamistes Contre La Ville De Diabali Sur La Route De Bamako’, Jeune Afrique (14 Jan. 2013).

⁵⁷ ‘Mali: Le Togo Va Envoyer 500 Soldats’, La Nouvelle Tribune (13 Jan. 2013).

⁵⁸ Halifa-Legrand and Jauvert, ‘Mali’.

⁵⁹ Jean Dominique Merchet, ‘Général Barrera: <<Mes Ordres Étaient Clairs: Détruisez Les Djihadistes!>>’, L’Opinion (13 July 2013).

⁶⁰ Hollande, ‘Declaration’.

⁶¹ ‘Hollande: L’opération Au Mali “N’a Pas D’ature but Que La Lutte Contre Le Terrorisme”‘, Le Monde (12 Jan. 2013).

⁶² Dominique Le Villepin, ‘Villepin: “Non, La Guerre Ce N’est Pas La France”‘ Le Journal du Dimanche (15 Jan. 2013).

⁶³ Karine Bannelier and Theodore Christakis, ‘Under the UN Security Council’s Watchful Eyes: Military Intervention by Invitation in the Malian Conflict’, Leiden Journal of International Law 26/4 (2013), 855–74.

⁶⁴ Clausewitz, On War, 207.

⁶⁵ Rémi Carayol, ‘Guerre Au Mali: La Misma, Faible Force’, Jeune Afrique (16 April 2013).

⁶⁶ Christophe Guilloteau and Philippe Nauche, Rapport D’information Sur L’opération Serval Au Mali (Paris: Assemblée National 2013), 37.

⁶⁷ Merchet, ‘Général Barrera’.

⁶⁸ Jean-Christophe Notin, La Guerre de la France au Mali (Paris: Tallandrier 2014), 303–22.

⁶⁹ Jean Fleury, La France En Guerre Au Mali: Les Combats D’aqmi Et La Révolte Des Touareg (Paris: Jean Picollec 2013), 154.

⁷⁰ International Crisis Group, ‘Mali: Réformer Ou Rechuter’ (Brussels: International Crisis Group 2013), 15.

⁷¹ Laurent Lagneau, ‘Mali: Le Mujao Revendique Les Attaques De Gao Et Kidal’, Zone Militaire / Opex360.com (22 Feb. 2013).

⁷² Jean-Louis Tremblai, ‘Mali: La Traque Aux Islamistes’, Le Figaro (26 April 2013).

⁷³ ‘Exclusif: Les Rafale Français N’ont Pas Survolé L’algérie’, Jeune Afrique (21 Jan. 2013).

⁷⁴ Ibid., 45.

⁷⁵ Jean-Pierre Chevènement and Gérard Larcher, ‘Rapport D’information Fait Au Nom De La Commission Des Affaires Étrangères, De La Défense Et Des Forces Armées (1) Par Le Groupe De Travail «Sahel»’ (Paris: Sénat 2013) 128.

⁷⁶ Ibid., 72.

⁷⁷ Lasserre and Oberlé, Notre Guerre Secrète Au Mali, 22.

⁷⁸ Amnesty International, Mali: Premier Bilan De La Situation Des Droits Humains Après Trois Semaines De Combats’, (London: Amnesty International Publications 2013) 1-13; Reporters Without Borders, ‘French Military Intervention Achieves ‘Zero Image of the War Front’ Media Objective’, (15 February 2013).

⁷⁹ Clausewitz, On War, 96–7.

⁸⁰ Rukmini Callimachi, ‘In Timbuktu, Al-Qaida Left Behind a Manifesto’, Associated Press (14 Feb. 2013).

⁸¹ Fleury, La France En Guerre Au Mali, 148–9.

⁸² Halifa-Legrand and Jauvert, ‘Mali’.

⁸³ Callimachi, ‘In Timbuktu’.

⁸⁴ Sergei Boeke, Combining exit with strategy: transitioning from short-term military interventions to a long-term counter-terrorism policy (The Hague: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism 2014), 10.

⁸⁵ European Commission, ‘International donor conference: €3.25 billion mobilised by international community to rebuild Mali’ (15 May 2013) <http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-429_en.htm>.

⁸⁶ For the French disappointment with the EU and the slow process of authorising and deploying the European Union Training Force (EUTM), see Guilloteau and Nauche, ‘Rapport D’information’.

⁸⁷ Chevènement and Larcher, ‘Rapport D’information’.

⁸⁸ International Crisis Group, ‘Mali’.

⁸⁹ Cheikh Diouara, ‘French battle Mali Islamists as Tuareg problem looms’, Reuters (6 February 2013).

⁹⁰ Bart Schuurman, ‘Trinitarian troubles: governmental, military, and societal explanations for post-1945 western failures in asymmetric conflicts’, Small Wars & Insurgencies 22/1 (March 2011) 34.

⁹¹ E.g.: Mary Kaldor, ‘Elaborating the “New War” thesis’ in Isabelle Duyvesteyn and Jan Angstrom (eds.), Rethinking the nature of war (New York: Frank Cass 2005), 210-24.

⁹² Boeke and Tisseron, ‘Mali’s long road’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sergei Boeke

Sergei Boeke (LL.M., Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) is a researcher at Leiden University’s Centre for Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CTC) and a Research Fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague. His research focuses on terrorism in the Sahel and cyber security.

Bart Schuurman

Bart Schuurman (MA, Utrecht University) is a researcher and PhD student at the CTC. His research interests include the causes of terrorism, strong-power defeats in asymmetric conflicts and Clausewitzian theory.