Paris AFP-JIJI

France has a long history of armed action in Africa, mostly in its former colonies. The following are the main interventions since 1960, when most of the African colonies became independent.

Libya: In February 2011, after the United Nations authorized action to protect civilians during a civil war, France, along with Britain, took the lead in a bombing campaign against Libya. The airstrikes contributed to the fall of leader Moammar Gadhafi.