Brussels, 20/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The EU is determined to contribute to the stability and security of the Sahel region of Africa. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini made this clear to the authorities of Chad, and at a summit of the G5 Sahel heads of state (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) that opened in Ndjamena on Friday 20 November.
The G5 Sahel is the institutional framework to coordinate and monitor regional cooperation on development policy and security policies (see EUROPE 11138).
After the wave of terror attacks in Egypt, Lebanon, Russia, Paris, Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, and a new attack that very day in Bamako, the High Representative stressed the importance of boosting partnership and dialogue between the EU and Africa in order to fight together against the same scourge, which goes by the name of Islamic State (IS), Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or Boko Haram. Mogherini said that these days it is even clear that they were facing the same challenges, as Europe is being targeted, the Arab world is being targeted, Africa is being targeted and “your challenges are our challenges”. It is only together, she said, that we can deal with them and the message being sent to terrorists was clear - “we are united”.
Mogherini confirmed that the EU would disburse €50 million to support the joint multinational force in the fight against Boko Haram. As for Europe's EUCAP Sahel mission in Niger, it will be enhanced and will have a permanent presence in Agadez from the beginning of next year. Mogherini said that this mission, and the one in Mali, would offer training to police and gendarmes in the Sahel G5 countries, and the EU could also support the establishment of deeper cooperation for border control.
The day after an EU-Africa summit on migration, Mogherini called for implementation of the joint Valetta (Malta) action plan to tackle the roots of illegal immigration (see EUROPE 11429). More than €8 billion of the new emergency trust fund for Africa will be reserved for the Sahel region when the fund has enough money in its coffers.
In her talks with the Chad authorities, Mogherini said that the EU stood at Chad's side to reinforce political stability and meet the population's needs. Five cooperation programmes have just been launched for a total of €101 million financed by the European Development Fund (€50 million in direct budget support, €20 million for pastoral development, €15 million in support for justice, €12 million for projects to support civil society and €4 million for technical support for cooperation). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)