The leaders of the EU and the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger) expressed on Tuesday 28 April their concerns about terrorism, the humanitarian situation in the region and the risk of the crisis spreading to neighbouring countries, hence their determination to strengthen the EU/G5 Sahel strategic partnership.
In a videoconference, they called for an urgent response to this crisis based on an integrated and long-term approach, while stressing the primary responsibility of the G5 Sahel States. In so doing, they reaffirmed their commitment to the security, stability and development of this region, which is a geopolitical and strategic priority for the EU (see EUROPE 12475/12).
These commitments derive from the Strategy for Security and Development in the G5 Sahel of September 2016 and the Integrated Framework for Priority Action of February 2020.
The Commission, for its part, has pledged additional financial support of €194 million. Of this, €112 million will be used to strengthen the security and defence capacities of the G5 Sahel countries while ensuring respect for human rights and international humanitarian law and restoring the presence of the State and basic services throughout the territory. The remaining €82 million will be mobilised to step up development efforts and help improve the living conditions, resilience and social cohesion of vulnerable populations, according to the Commission.
Coalition of the Sahel. Citing the main points of progress from this virtual meeting, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, speaking alone to the press, emphasised the common will of European leaders and the G5 Sahel to involve the international community more closely in the fight against terrorism.
“It is important to convince all international partners to join the coalition for the Sahel” that was announced at the Pau summit (see EUROPE 12403/20), he explained. “The coalition aims to ensure a significant increase in the means to support the region in the fight against terrorism, to support the capacity of the states in the region to deploy more troops, and to support development efforts”, he said.
In their joint statement, the European and G5 Sahel leaders also call for greater support for the Chadian battalion of the joint force and invite those EU Member States that have not yet done so to participate in the Takuba mission (see EUROPE 12457/34).
During a videoconference on the previous day, the foreign ministers of the G5 countries and their French counterpart insisted that a Chadian battalion (500 soldiers) be sent to the three-border zone between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso “as soon as possible”.
Covid-19 and debt cancellation? In response to the G5 Sahel’s expectations of the international community regarding the cancellation of their debt, Charles Michel also announced that the EU and the G5 Sahel would work together to kindle discussions in international fora.
“The EU and the G5 are committed to leading this debate together with Member States, international partners and in particular the IMF”, he said. He added that “it is very important to have an international approach to support the opening of this discussion”.
The two sides agreed to hold another meeting by videoconference within 3 months to take stock of the progress of the Coalition of the Sahel and the measures related to the impact of Covid-19 on African countries.
In their joint declaration, the leaders of the G5 Sahel and the EU make peace in Mali a priority, recalling that the implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement remains a priority.
Condemning terrorist attacks, they stress that terrorism exacerbates local tensions and is fuelled by weaknesses in socio-economic development.
Both sides stress the importance of increasing efforts towards a strong integrated response for finding political solutions to local grievances and for addressing the root causes of conflict.
European and G5 Sahel leaders are calling for an intensification of development efforts (broadly affected by the challenges of governance, poverty, access to social services, equality and respect for human rights) by promoting economic development, investment and employment opportunities for young people. They welcome the significant financial support provided by the EU and its Member States (€8 billion over the 2014-2020 period), including €4.5 billion from the EU itself.
European and G5 Sahel leaders recognise the challenge of climate change and environmental degradation and stress the importance of supporting efforts toward natural resource management and climate change adaptation. In this regard, they specify that the settlement of disputes over access to and use of natural resources is also the responsibility of the region’s States and should be considered as a tool for conflict resolution.
They stress that the participation of women and youth is essential for the region’s climate, development and stabilisation.
See the joint statement: https://bit.ly/3cYNk6e (Original version in French by Aminata Niang with Camille-Cerise Gessant)