Europe confronts terrorism in African Sahel by force of law

Ahmed Adel

In the context of attempts to undermine the intensity of terrorist operations in the African Sahel region, the European Parliament agreed in its session on Thursday, September 17, to sign a new security cooperation protocol in the Sahel, West Africa and the Horn of Africa allowing for the provision of weapons and equipment to the region, as well as supporting the armed forces of the Sahel countries and their joint forces.

Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the G5 Sahel countries, said that the protocol represents a “foundational document for a new partnership.” He told the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI) that his country welcomes Europe’s ratification of this law, adding that it “makes great progress in strengthening links between Africa and Europe.”

Force of law

Ahmed stated that the protocol’s text, which focuses on the role of both Africa and Europe in combating terrorism, had the “force of law” at the level of the European Union member states.

The Mauritania minister added that the new law lays the foundations for a new, more solid partnership at the bilateral and multilateral levels between Europe and Africa in order to meet the challenges.

Paragraph 36 of the text indicates that the European Parliament “welcomes and supports the comprehensive Mauritanian approach, which includes a strategy based on the social dimension and development with regard to the military and security approach.”

The Europeans also expressed their solidarity with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, which are countries severely affected by terrorism, noting that the international community welcomed the United Nations Mission in Mali, the multinational joint force, the Group of Five (G5) and the French Operation Barkhane forces.

They also called on G5 Sahel states to pursue national reforms and fully implement human rights, good governance and democracy.

Education in confronting terrorism

According to Paragraph 17 of the draft European-African Security Cooperation Act, the European Parliament recommended that consideration be given to contributing to the operational and logistical costs of counterterrorism operations carried out by the joint Sahel forces, such as peacekeeping operations in the Sahel and Sahara region. It also pointed out that education and vocational training should be two tools suitable for this.

In Paragraph 29, the European Parliament categorically affirmed the request from member states and the European Union to assist the G5 Sahel forces with financial assistance in addition to military equipment and training.

The new protocol also strongly supported the option of exceptional global assistance to get out of the economic crisis caused by the corona virus, as well as the complete cancellation of the African continent’s debt.

The G5 is aimed at joint coordination on terrorism and security issues. It was established in 2014 under an initiative of the heads of the regional countries facing common security and development challenges.