Operation Barkhane rebellion against the central Malian government was exploited by Islamist groups who gained control over the northern half of the country. In response, France launched a military operation in January 2013 to stop the Islamist offensive from toppling the Malian government and to re-capture Northern Mali. The operation, codenamed Operation Serval, ended in the complete re-capture of all Islamist held territory by the operations conclusion on the 15 July 2014. Following the end of Operation Serval, France recognised the need to provide stability in the wider Sahel region by helping the region's various governments combat terrorism. The French defense minister,
Protests against the 2011 military intervention in Libya the rest of the world and region that we can do it if we want to". Kate Hudson, chair of the CND, called the military intervention "utterly reprehensible" and Galloway described the intervention as "imperialist war-making". Anti-Gaddafi protesters, in turn, opposed those opposing the intervention. On March 21, approximately 150 people demonstrated in London in support of Gaddafi and protesting against the UK's intervention in Libya. On March 19 a demonstration in Times Square, New York City originally meant to protest the Iraq War turned into a protest against the military intervention in Libya. U. S. Representative Charles B. Rangel