This series in four episodes from the magazine “1:15 p.m. on Sunday” offers a rare document on the French army in Mali at a time when France and its European partners have formalized their military withdrawal from the country. Barkhane, and before that Serval, had more than 5,000 soldiers, including 2,000 deployed in the so-called “three borders” region (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger). Soldiers on the front line against jihadists for over nine years, of whom 53 have died in combat. Philibert, Christophe and Amélie were followed for six months, from their military training until their departure for Mali.