The French military vehicle broke down in the unforgiving desert of northern Mali, 80 miles from the nearest base.

Jihadists, bandits and armed villagers all criss-cross the arid plains, and attacks targeting French counter-terrorism forces are common.

This time, however, following a commitment made by Prime Minister Theresa May to President Emmanuel Macron in January, an RAF Chinook airlifted the dust-whipped vehicle and its personnel to safety.

The RAF deployed three helicopters and 120 personnel to Gao, northern Mali, in July, but their presence marks the tip of a much broader British “pivot to the Sahel” — a renewed focus on West and Central Africa’s poorest and most insecure countries.

“We have carried a huge amount of troops and equipment between here and a forward operating base in the north, right up to the Algerian border,” explained Wing Commander Matt Roberts, the most senior British presence on Gao’s French base.