Operation SERVAL
International Operation Name: Operation SERVAL
International Operation Dates: 2013/01/10 – 2013/07/15
Mandating Organization: United Nations
Region Name: Africa
Location: Mali
Canadian Operation Name: Operation SERVAL
Canadian Operation Dates: 2014/01/14 – 2014/04/03
Mission Mandate:
Support French strategic lines of communications by providing airlift in support of the UN Security Council Resolution.
Mission Notes:
The Tuareg people of northern Mali were involved in a series of insurrections in the 1990s and 2000s against the government of Mali. In each case they were defeated and after each rebellion were integrated into the Malian military. However, dissatisfaction remained high among the Tuareg. In January 2012 another insurrection began led by a new Tuareg nationalist group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA). Many Tuaregs in the Malian Army defected to the NMLA who began to gain control over large areas of northern Mali.
As the NMLA moved south, it struck up alliances with the Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) as well as two indigenous Islamist groups, the Ansar Dine and the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA). These groups were well-armed with weapons from the previous rebellions and others looted from Libyans armouries. Funding came from the drug trade and from ransoms paid for European tourists kidnapped specifically for this purpose. MUJWA also posed an additional threat in that it had a terrorist bent and had used suicide bombers in its operations.
For the part of the Malian government, there was considerable disorganization, starting with a coup d’état on 21 March 2012 staged by soldiers dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the Tuareg insurrection. The resulting international sanctions and efforts between the rebel soldiers and supporters of the government to reach some form of compromise effectively handed control of northern Mali to the NMLA and Islamist groups. By the end of April 2012, a transitional government ran the country.
In June 2012, AQIM, Ansar Dine and MUJWA turned on NMLA and began to take control of areas controlled by the Tuareg group. By late September, the Islamist groups were effectively in control of northern Mali. A phony war existed between the Islamists and the Malian government, with neither side aggressively challenging the other.
However, in early January 2013, the three Islamist groups advanced on and by 10 January had taken Konna, putting them within 48 hours drive of the Malian capital of Bamako. The threat posed by Islamists, both as radicals and as groups that were in the habit of taking Western hostages required action as the whole country of Mali was now threatened. The United Nations Security Council, through Resolution 2085 of 20 December 2012 and other earlier resolutions, had called upon regional organizations to combat the threat posed to Mali. France had been working through the UN and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to try to stabilize the situation in Mali, but the latest Islamist advance posed too big a threat for France to sit by.
With Resolution 2085 as backing and an official request from the Malian transitional government, France took action. Although they did not have any military assets in Mali, they did have aircraft, armoured vehicles and personnel in neighbouring countries. Using the aircraft and personnel in place, France attacked the Islamist column in an effort to stop its advance. France also started bringing in military personnel, equipment and supplies in an effort to not only stop the Islamists but also to take the battle into Islamist-held territory and defeat them. The French effort was given the name Operation SERVAL.
The French first used air strikes to attack the Islamist column on 11 January that was heading towards Bamako. The next day with air and ground forces, supported by Malian troops they launched an attack on Kanno. They then struck targets further north using air strikes to destroy supply depots and equipment and ground forces to take back territory lost to the three Islamist groups. While the initial attacks in the first week of operations were initiated using forces redeployed from neighbouring countries, the ground war could not be won unless French resources were built up sufficiently to take and hold territory gained from the Islamist forces. The deployment of equipment from France to Mali was a huge logistical effort, for which France called upon allied nations for support.
Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria and Mali among others provided ground forces while Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States and United Arab Emirates provided airlift support both for carrying equipment and soldiers from France to Mali and from other African countries to Mali. Some of these latter countries also provided personnel to assist French military personnel with engineering and logistical support.
By the end of May 2013, France began to drawn down its forces in Mali as the French-led forces had retaken control of the country. A mixed combat group remained to support the international missions that were created and were now working to maintain Malian control of the north and train the Malian Army.
Canadian Operation:
As early as March 2012, the Canadian government was considering possible courses of action in Mali. Communications were held with France and the United States while military forces were considered as a possible option, especially if Canadian citizens in Mali needed to be evacuated. As it was, the government decided against a military option at that time.
In January 2013, France officially requested Canadian military assistance. RCAF personnel including at 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario examined an airlift option, which on 14 January was announced as Canada’s support to Operation SERVAL. The provision of a CC-177 Globemaster and personnel was to be for one week only.
On 15 January, a CC-177 with a detachment of 36 personnel departed 8 Wing for Istres-Le Tubé, France, northwest of Marseilles, where it would join other members of the airlift, including the United Kingdom, United States and United Arab Emirates who were also providing C-17 aircraft. The deployment, to be known as Air Task Force Mali, arrived early on the 16th and within 18 hours was flying its first load to Bamako, via Evreux, France. The aircraft would now fly almost daily. The one-week mission now became a one-month mission, with the Canadian government approving on 24 January an extension to 15 February.
On 3 February, the CC-177 flew its 17th mission at which time it carried its 1 millionth pound of cargo (about 454,000 kilograms). These daily flights were greatly needed as the deployment phase of Op SERVAL was not completed until 16 February; however with the transition to a sustainment phase the daily schedule was reduced. These missions were taxing on both the air and groundcrew. One flight was about 10.5 hours one way to Bamako while it took over 3 hours to load the CC-177. There was also the planning and preparation for the cargo and the lengthy inspections required after each mission to ensure that the aircraft would be ready for the next flight.
On 15 February the government extended the mission to 22 March. For the RCAF personnel stationed at Istres-Le Tubé, what had started as a one-week deployment had become an almost 6-week deployment by the time their replacements arrived on 24 February.
When the United Kingdom withdrew its C-17 support, the Canadians went back to flying on an almost daily basis. On 22 March the mission was again extended, this time to 31 March. On this date the CC-177 made its last flight to Bamako, its 46th; however, an unserviceability, the only one of the deployment, forced it to remain in Bamako until 2 April. On 3 April, Air Task Force Mali returned to 8 Wing. Over the course of 76 days the deployment had flown 46 missions carrying 1.5 million kilograms of cargo and 777 French personnel.