The Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States, meeting at the European Summit on 26 and 27 October, are expected to express their concern at the “continuing deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation” in the Sahel region and to affirm that the EU “will remain committed alongside ECOWAS”.
The leaders will reportedly underline that the stability of the Sahel, including neighbouring coastal states, is “crucial to the security and prosperity of the EU”.
The draft conclusions of 24 October stress that “the humanitarian situation of the people of the Sahel is also a major concern”.
The High Representative, Josep Borrell, and the European Commission should be given a mandate to “prepare options for adapting EU action and instruments to the current situation in the region” which has seen a succession of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and, on 26 July, Niger - three countries sanctioned by ECOWAS.
The EU27 leaders are expected to call for “the immediate release of President Bazoum and his family” (see EUROPE 13277/2). The ministers of foreign affairs, who had begun their reflections on revising the EU’s holistic strategy for the Sahel in September (see EUROPE 13253/29), are due to continue this in November, which they did not have time to do at their meeting on 23 October (see EUROPE 13276/4).
See the European Council's draft conclusions of October 24: https://aeur.eu/f/99d (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)