The fight against terrorism in the G5 Sahel countries and the expectations of the five countries concerned in terms of support for their efforts are the focus of a “Barkhane” summit hosted by the French President in Pau on Monday 13 January, one week before the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, which is scheduled to have a wider debate on the Sahel on 20 January in Brussels.
The meeting of the leaders of the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) was convoked by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in order to obtain reassurances on the legitimacy of the French presence in the Sahel in response to the increase of jihadist attacks in the region and in the context of anti-French sentiment in Mali and Burkina Faso.
The meeting, originally scheduled to take place last December, had been postponed due to mourning in Niger following the 11 December jihadist attack in Inates that killed 71 soldiers. The country has since been the target of a new attack on 9 January at the Chinégoder military camp, which took a very heavy toll: 89 dead.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the High Representative, Josep Borrell, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and the President of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, were scheduled to attend the working dinner with the French President and African leaders. There was hope that a joint statement would be released.
At the December European Council, European leaders, with France in the forefront, discussed how the EU could be more involved. Mr Macron had said he wanted clarification from the G5 Sahel countries on their expectations of France and the international community (see EUROPE 12390/3).
On 20 January, EU Foreign Ministers will discuss the Sahel, which remains a strategic priority for the EU and its Member States. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)