Operation Serval
The French intervention of January 2013 that broke the jihadist occupation of northern Mali; folded into Barkhane in 2014.
Broad area of activity
From the Konna front to the far north, January 2013 – August 2014.
Notable history
Launched within hours of the jihadist push toward Sévaré, Serval broke the occupation of the north in weeks — a rapid expeditionary campaign widely judged a tactical success. Its limits were built in: it could expel an insurgency from cities but not resolve the governance vacuum that had produced it. Folded into the region-wide Barkhane in August 2014.
Strengths
Speed, air power, desert logistics.
Limitations
A military answer to a political question.
Reported & historical equipment associations
Lineage & institutional history
Successors: Operation Barkhane
Key events
Launch of Operation Serval
After a jihadist column pushes south toward Sévaré and the road to Bamako, France intervenes at Mali's request with airstrikes and a rapid ground force.
Assessed as of2014-08Last reviewed2026-07-15