Denmark to escalate military presence in Sahel Region

Danes aiming to deploy troops and choppers to troubled area in Africa

The government is on the brink of stepping up its military contribution to a French-led international operation in the embattled Sahel Region in Africa.

Parliament will decide whether Denmark will deploy upwards of about 70 military personnel and two transport helicopters for a 12-month period at the end of 2019.

“It’s paramount to Danish and European security that we contribute to the stabilisation of the area. The terror groups in the Sahel Region are a threat to our mutual security, so we are teaming up with France to beat them back,” said the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen.

Samuelsen went on to say that he hoped the effort would also prove a useful tool in curbing and preventing irregular migration towards Europe.

READ MORE: Denmark cosies up to France in wake of Macron visit

Serval’s successor
The French-led operation, named Barkhane, consists of 4,500 French troops and also includes contributions from the UK and Estonia.

The Sahel Region covers vast swaths of land in the countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

In 2013, Denmark contributed to the French-led operation Serval, but this will be the first time that the Danes will have deployed soldiers and equipment to assist in Operation Barkhane. Denmark has also dedicated military staff and material to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA.





  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.