Retours sur Sangaris. Entre stabilisation et protection des civils
In December 2013, France launched its operation Sangaris in the Central African Republic. What conclusions can be drawn for the stabilization of the country and the protection of civilians?
In December 2013, a decade-long political crisis in the Central African Republic descended into an aggravated civil war giving reasons to fear for mass violence along communal lines. In order to prevent further chaos, United Nations mandated France to engage in a military intervention, its seventh in this country since 1960. As a bridging operation, Sangaris aimed at setting the right conditions for the EU and UN peacekeeping missions to provide longer term security and development guidance. More than two years after its start, time has come to assess operation Sangaris’ military effectiveness in the light of the limited means it was allocated. To some extent, the operation showed how lack of resources could be offset by tactical and operational adaptations. Nevertheless, such adjustments are not risk-free and may decrease operational sustainability. The second key issue is the protection of civilians. When resources are limited, “protecting means choosing”, i.e. confronting difficult dilemmas that political and military decision-makers need to be aware of before engaging in such tasks.
This content is available in French: « Retours sur Sangaris. Entre stabilisation et protection des civils ».
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
French Forward Deterrence: What Is in It for the Baltic States?
For what may be its most significant stress test since the end of the Cold War, European deterrence is under strain. Russia’s war against Ukraine has demonstrated Moscow’s willingness to use force and its ability to combine conventional operations with nuclear signalling, coercive rhetoric, and hybrid actions. At the same time, the gradual deterioration of transatlantic relations has revived concerns about the reliability of extended deterrence.
Europe at the Crossroads of DefTech: Rethinking the European Defense Innovation Ecosystem
“The way I look at Iron Dome is as the ultimate manifestation of the future of the United States’ role in future conflicts, which is not to be the world police, but to be the world gun store,” said Palmer Luckey in November 2023. Luckey is the founder of Anduril, one of the most prominent DefTech companies. The ambition is clear: to participate in global rearmament by capitalizing on the quality of American innovations and to dominate the arms market—at least in the West—through technological mastery.
Taking the Pulse: Is France’s New Nuclear Doctrine Ambitious Enough?
French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his country’s new nuclear doctrine. Are the changes he has made enough to reassure France’s European partners in the current geopolitical context?
Macron Offers a Promising Vision for Nuclear Deterrence in Europe
Macron’s concept of ‘forward deterrence’ offers a distinctly European approach to nuclear deterrence.