Sahel Alliance members focus on solidarity, security during summit

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania -- Countries of the Sahel Alliance have renewed their commitment to supporting regional integration and addressing the challenges that Sahel countries face, notably poverty, armed terrorist groups and increased Russian influence.

At the 4th general assembly of the Sahel Alliance, held in Nouakchott on Monday (July 10), participants agreed to increase co-operation to meet the urgent needs of the people of the Sahel region.

During the summit, the rotating presidency of the Sahel Alliance was transferred from Spain to Germany, represented by German minister of Economic Co-operation and Development Svenja Schulze.

"The Sahel is one of the poorest regions in the world, with one of the youngest populations," said Schulze.

"At the same time, the Sahel has become the new epicenter of Islamist terrorism, and Russian influence is increasing."

The Alliance, established in 2017, co-ordinates international support in the five Sahel countries: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

The total support for all the initiatives and investments funded by members of the Sahel Alliance amounts to about 28 billion euros ($31.5 billion).

Through the United States' Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States has provided over $500 million a year through a wide range of development programmes.

But some analysts say the challenges that Sahel nations face today require more concerted efforts among member states, especially in light of the escalating threat posed by the Russian mercenary Wagner Group.

"Wagner's recent involvement in raiding Bedouin camps in northern Mali and abducting Mauritanians on the border with Mali, is a significant challenge to the work of the Sahel Alliance," Sahel region conflict expert Mohammed el-Amin al-Dah said.

He called for more co-ordination among member states and increased transparency in distributing the aid they receive among their people.

During the recent meeting in Nouakchott, Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould al-Ghazouani, who chairs the G5 Sahel, said "the crises in the Sahel region feed on each other in a vicious circle".

This "exacerbates the difficult situation the [G5 countries] are already in", he said, in addition to increasingly complex global conditions.

The Mauritanian president also called for the return of Mali to the G5 Sahel organisation.

Need to enhance security

Mauritanian journalist Bashir Ould Babana said not all G5 member states are serious about addressing the challenges that plague the Sahel region.

"I don't want to accuse a specific country, but the picture is clear to those who follow daily reports of unarmed civilians occasionally getting kidnapped, and the escalating Russian presence in some of the region's countries," he told Al-Mashareq.

During the Nouakchott summit, Schulze praised Mauritania's efforts to support the Sahel countries: "Mauritania plays a pioneering and constructive role and contributes significantly to promoting peace in the region... and is making tremendous efforts to combat poverty and climate change."

At the summit, Mauritania presented a road map aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the defence and security authorities to combat insecurity in the Sahel region and improve conditions for sustainable development.

The roadmap's objectives include access to basic social and economic services including education, health, social protection and food security.

On the diplomatic side, the roadmap seeks to normalise relations between member states and Alliance partners, especially in the cases of Mali and Burkina Faso.

Other objectives include sharing Mauritania's experience in enhancing security and stability with other member states.