Operation Sangaris was a French military intervention in the Central African Republic, from late 2013 till 2016. It was the seventh French military intervention there since the country gained independence from France in 1960.013 On 30 October 2016, France announced it was officially ending Operation Sangaris.
Name According to Jean-Vincent Brisset, senior researcherdirecteur de recherches at Iris, the name refers to the African butterfly Cymothoe sangaris, and was chosen because "butterflies are not dangerous, do not last very long, are considered pretty and are politically correct".un papillon, ce n'est pas méchant, ça ne dure pas très longtemps, c’est considéré comme joli et politiquement correct
Background In late 2012, President François Bozizé requested international aid from France and the US to fend off the Séléka, a rebel movement that had progressed to the vicinity of the capital Bangui.Le président centrafricain appelle la France et les Etats-Unis à l'aide - Libération - 27 décembre 2012 à 12:54En Centrafrique, la capitale redoute une entrée des rebelles, La Croix, 27/12/12 Central African Republic's Bozize in US-France appeal - BBC - 27 décembre 2012 The Séléka is a Muslim and Northern movement fighting the Catholic South.Agonie silencieuse de la Centrafrique - par Vincent Munié, Octobre 2013, Le Monde Diplomatique In March 2013, Michel Djotodia ousted Bozizé from power and became the first Muslim President of the country.Agonie silencieuse de la Centrafrique - Une histoire violente - Le Monde Diplomatique - octobre 2013Mystery Shrouds Rise and Aims of Rebel at Helm of Central African Republic, SCOTT SAYARE, 13 avril 2013, New York Times
In October 2013, fighting broke out between Séléka elements and Christian self-defence militias called anti-balakas, and the State lost its ability to maintain order.La Centrafrique à l’heure du chaos, 25 September 2013, Le MondeUne cinquantaine de morts dans des affrontements en Centrafrique, 08.10.2013, Le Monde
The United Nations and the French government started voicing concerns of potential genocide.La Centrafrique « au bord du génocide » ? - La Presse - 21 novembre 2013Laurent Fabius : la Centrafrique est «au bord du génocide», publié le 21.11.2013, Le Parisien Déclaration du Conseiller spécial pour la prévention du génocide sur le dialogue inter-communautaires et la prévention des crimes en République centrafricaine, au Conseil de sécurité - ONUCentrafrique : l'ONU appelle à agir pour éviter un génocide - Le Monde
On 5 December 2013, Resolution 2127 was unanimously voted by the United Nations Security Council to allow an African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) to be deployed for a 12-month duration to restore order and end religious tensions.L'ONU autorise une intervention française en Centrafrique, La Tribune de Genève, 05.12.2013 Le Conseil de sécurité autorise une intervention militaire de la France en République centrafricaine, Alexandra Geneste, Le Monde, 05.12.2013 The MISCA is supported by French forces authorised to use any necessary means.
Chronology
Preparation From 24 November 2013, around 30 personnel of the 25th Air Engineer Regiment, stationed in Libreville, were deployed to Bangui M'Poko International Airport. They were equipped with around 20 heavy engineering machines, sent over in an Antonov An-124.. This group, quickly reinforced with elements from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, was tasked with the restoration of the runways and of the logistic areas, as well as enlarging the passenger zones. This aimed at making the airport suitable for the arrival of the French force and its likely reinforcements.
On 28 November 2013, the BPC Dixmude, escorted by aviso Commandant L'Herminier, reached Douala harbour in Cameroon,. ferrying 350 soldiers of the 11th Parachute Brigade and two Gazelle helicopters. From 1 December, elements of the operational reserve aboard Dixmude started landing operations, parking trucks, VAB and VBL armoured vehicles in Douala harbor.
On 30 November 2013, a 200-strong detachment arrived in Bangui in an Airbus A340 of 3/60 "Esterel" Squadron, comprising military communications specialists, personnel of the Military Fuel Service, and matériel.. In the following days, a dozen Antonov An-124 rotations ferried the logistical and support matériel for their installation. According to the Chief of the Defence Staff, "the deployment was implemented as a consolidation and preparation for a possible increase of the deployment in Bangui, as the President of the Republic wishes".Ce déploiement a été réalisé au titre des mesures conservatoires et préparatoires à un éventuel renforcement du dispositif à Bangui, comme l’a souhaité le Président président de la République
By 5 December 2013, the French military deployment in Bangui was over 600 strong, including 240 permanently detached from Opération Boali, a parallel peace-keeping operation ongoing in the Central African Republic since 2002. Two companies of the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, the Second company of the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment, one company of the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, and elements of the 6th Marine Infantry Battalion and of the 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment were already deployed. The 25th Air Engineering Regiment is the first engineering unit to be deployed, along with elements from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment.
Start of Sangaris
Following Resolution 2127 of the United Nations Security Council, Sangaris officially began in the night of the 5 to 6 December, when General Francisco Soriano, commanding the operation, arrived in Bangui.
From 5 to 8 December, while the French forces were deploying, violent fighting broke out between Séléka and Anti-balaka. Amnesty International reported around 1000 Christians and 60 Muslims killed in two days.Amnesty International : République centrafricaine. Crimes de guerre et crimes contre l'humanité à Bangui On the 5th, while French troops were securing the approaches to M’Poko Airport, where 2000 civilians had fled from the fighting, they sustained three attacks by an armed pick-up; by the third time, they replied in kind, destroying the vehicle. None of the French soldiers nor of the civilians they were protecting was harmed during the exchange.
Within the first 24 hours of Sangaris, the number of French troops doubled to reach 1200.. On 7 December, the French military secured the capital city of Bangui, with difficulty as sporadic fighting was still ongoing. Meanwhile, a terrestrial operation from Cameroon allowed the French to secure the city of Bouar and enter Bossangoa.
With the end of the "Peace and Security in Africa" summit in Paris, François Hollande announced that 1600 soldiers would be deployed "for as long as necessary" and that their mission would be to "disarm all militias and armed groups that terrorise the population"; he furthermore re-stated his intentions to have a "swift, efficient" French intervention that would bring about "the return of stability, and allow free and pluralist elections when in the fullness of time". By the end of the summit, the African Union had committed to increase the MISCA to 6000 men..
On the 6th, the Épervier Force, base in Chad, provided a C130 Hercules and a CN-235 CASA to airlift reinforcements from Libreville to Bangui. The same day, French forces started patrolling across Bangui, mounted or on foot, to secure French interests. Some patrols were mixed with elements of the MISCA. In the night of the 6 to 7 December, the troops landed by Dixmude crossed the Central-African border, while elements deployed outside of Bangui began to reconnoitre the road axis to the North. The reconnaissance detachment, around 100-man strong, reached Bossangoa without encountering resistance, but witnesses important numbers of refugees. Rafales from Ndjamena conducted air patrols and low-altitude shows of force above Bangui and Bossangoa to signal the French presence and bring about an end to infighting.
From the 7th, the Sangaris Force was further reinforced with helicopters, comprising two Gazelles and four Pumas.. In the following hours, an Antonov An-124 ferrying two Fennecs from Vélizy – Villacoublay Air Base and Orange-Caritat Air Base arrived..
On the 8th, the French headquarters announced that the Bouar-Bossembélé road had been opened without resistance.
Disarmament of armed groups (December 2013)
On 8 December 2013, Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Defence Minister, stated that operations would start the next day to disarm militias. He re-stated the three objectives of the French interventions: "bring about the necessary security to allow the flow of humanitarian aid, allow the African mission to intervene and put the democratic process back in place."instaurer un minimum de sécurité et permettre l'acheminement de l'aide humanitaire, permettre à la mission africaine d'intervenir et mettre en place un processus démocratique
In the night of the 9 to 10 December, an incident between French forces and gunmen caused the death of two soldiers of the 8th RPIMa.. According to the statement of the French Defence Ministry, soon before midnight, a section of the Sangaris Force was attacked at short range by men equipment with light arms, during a patrol in Bangui. The patrol replied in kind. During the exchange of fire, the Privates First Class Nicolas Vokaer and Antoine Le Quinio sustained serious injuries; they were immediately cared for by their comrades and evacuated to the frontline surgical bay of the French Defence Health service at M’Poko Airport, where they died of their injuries..
On the 10th, General Mahamat Saleh, formerly Chief of Staff of the Séléka forces, was killed by French soldiers in the Miskine neighbourhood, as his vehicle attempted to run a blockade. Two of his men were also killed, and the two others were wounded. Xinhua : 'RCA : Un haut gradé de la Seleka tuéCENTRAFRIQUE. Calme précaire à Bangui - Le Nouvel Obs avec AFP - 12-12-2013
On 22 December, three men of the Séléka were killed by French soldiers during a disarmament operations. Afterwards, accusations were exchanged between the French and the Séléka as to who was responsible for the shots being fired. The French headquarter stated that their men had opened fire "twice during the day", the first time "again a group of half a dozen men, suspected to be ex-Séléka, who were about to use their weapons that they had pointed on our troops";contre un groupe d'une demi-douzaine de personnes soupçonnées d'être des ex-Séléka, qui allaient faire usage de leurs armes qui étaient pointées contre nos troupes the second incident had occurred against a sniper. According to an officer of the Séléka, Abacar Sabone, the three victims had been killed "as they were indeed armed, but had demonstrated no hostility against the French and were not using their weapons."alors qu'ils étaient armés, certes, mais ils n'avaient montré aucun hostilité envers les Français et n'ont pas fait usage de leurs armes A few hours later, thousands of Muslims demonstrated to denounce the French intervention and accuse it of supporting the Christians and the Anti-balaka.Le Nouvel Observateur : Centrafrique: accrochage entre Séléka et armée française à Bangui In the morning of the next day, Christians demonstrated to support the French intervention and demand the departure of Michel Djotodia, of Séléka and of the Chadian and MISCA soldiers. After sustaining stoning, Chadian soldiers opened fire, killing one demonstrator and wounding another. The incident ended when French troops evacuated the victims.Le Monde : Centrafrique : des tirs tchadiens font un mort à Bangui
Minimal security restored and increase of MISCA presence (January 2014)