Takuba Task Force
The Takuba Task Force is a European military task force which will advise, assist and accompany Malian Armed Forces, in coordination with G5-Sahel partners and other international actors on the ground.
On 27 March 2020, the governments of Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Mali, Niger, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom issued a political statement expressing support for the creation of a task force, integrated to the command of operation Barkhane, aiming at tackling the terrorist groups in the Liptako region, a historic region falling in eastern Burkina Faso, southwestern Niger and a small portion of southeast central Mali. Under the name Takuba, the task force will advise, assist and accompany Malian Armed Forces, in coordination with G5-Sahel partners and other international actors on the ground, including the UN mission MINUSMA, as well as the EU missions EUTM Mali, EUCAP Sahel Mali and EUCAP Sahel Niger. Expected to deploy in summer 2020, this task force will be mainly composed of European special operation forces with a high level of autonomy. So far, contributions have been pledged by Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
Named after the takuba sword that is used across the western Sahel, the task force was established at the request of the Nigerien and Malian governments against the background of a deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region.
