On 25 November 2019, two French military helicopters, part of Operation Barkhane, crashed in northern Mali, killing 13 soldiers.

On November 2, an LAV escorting a convoy between Gao and Ménaka ran into an improvised explosive device 20 kilometers from Indelimane: a French soldier was killed.

[4][5] On November 22, 2019, the French army launched a large-scale operation in the Eranga Valley, located about twenty kilometers south of Indelimane.

On November 25, late in the day, French forces launched an attack in the Liptako Gourma region against jihadists traveling in pick-ups and motorcycles.

"[10][11][12] The next day, General François Lecointre, the Armed Forces' chief of staff, denied that jihadist fire had caused the collision: "This is absolutely incorrect.