Reacting to the attack that killed two soldiers from Operation Barkhane in Mali, and that wounded a third, on Wednesday 21 February, the European Union expressed its "sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to France". These military were the victims of an artisanal mine explosion as their armoured vehicle crossed it the north east of the country.
"We reiterate our support for the French forces of Operation Barkhane in their efforts to achieve security in Mali and the Sahel. The European Union will continue to work alongside the Sahel countries and the international community to support peace, stability and development in Mali and the whole of the Sahel region, in particular under the G5 Sahel initiative", the spokesperson for the European External Action Service stated in a press release.
This is exactly the ambition of the high level international conference on the Sahel being hosted in Brussels on Friday 23 February to mobilise more support from the international community for these objectives and, especially, increased support to the G5 Sahel joint force of 5,000 men in order to accelerate its deployment (see EUROPE 11966, 11965). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)