Operation Serval Operation Serval Operation Serval () was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali. Operation Serval followed the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085 of December 20, 2012 and an official request by the Malian interim government for French military assistance. The operation ended on July 15, 2014, and was replaced by Operation Barkhane, launched on August 1, 2014 to fight Islamist fighters in the Sahel. Three of the five Islamic leaders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, Abdel Krim
Operation Sangaris Operation Sangaris Operation Sangaris is a military intervention of the French military in the Central African Republic, from late 2013 till 2016. It has been the 7th French military intervention there since the independence of the country in 1960. On 30 October 2016, France announced it officially ended Operation Sangaris. According to Jean-Vincent Brisset, senior researcher 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". In late 2012, President François Bozizé requested international aid from France and the