EU will be ‘loyal and dedicated partner’ to Sahel, official says

The Sahel region in north-central Africa is “the most important for Europe at the moment,” according to Emanuela Del Re, the European Union’s special representative for the Sahel, who has been focusing on the ongoing crisis in Mali.

Speaking to Devex, she said the European bloc sees opportunities in the Sahel, even amid instability, terrorist activity, and weak governance. The latest challenge — the delay of elections in Mali by a junta that came to power after a 2020 coup — led the EU to announce last week its support for sanctions that the Economic Community of West African States imposed on Mali earlier this month.

Despite the instability in Mali, Del Re said the European Union will continue to be a “loyal and dedicated partner” to the countries of the Sahel.

“We have to be coherent, and consistent as well. In fact, the position of the European Union is in line with ECOWAS, which means that of course we understand the motivations. We agree that we need to be firm in our approach. At the same time, nevertheless, we are fully aware that Mali must not be isolated. This would be very dangerous for a number of reasons, and therefore it is important to keep an open door,” Del Re said.

“There is a strong feeling that whatever happens in Mali has an effect on the entire region. … It is important that Mali demonstrates … [it is] able to develop a proper democratic system with a proper system of governance,” she said.

Governance in the Sahel has been a major focus for the EU, said Del Re, who took up the post in July for a term that lasts until August this year. She said people in the region need to be able to count on their governments to provide basic services, including citizen security from the police, if the countries are to see sustainable development.

In December, the EU released priority areas and objectives with its partner countries and regions — focusing on themes including human rights and democracy, as well as peace, stability, and conflict prevention — while the bloc’s “Integrated Strategy” for the Sahel region was released in April.

“It’s very important to fix, in a very clear way, the principles in which strategy must be based. And in the case of the European Union, one of the major principles that really drives the general approach is the issue of ownership and mutual accountability,” Del Re said. “These are two concepts that I would like to underline because ownership, of course, is the major ambition — [to] make sure that whatever we do actually is managed and passes on the hands of the Sahelians.”

Del Re’s mandate as special representative is to ensure coherence across Europe in the bloc’s policy toward the Sahel and covers a range of issues, from the political crisis in Mali to other security, peace, and economic development efforts. Present challenges to the region’s progress include climate change and food crises, as well as the movement of refugees and people displaced within their own countries, she said.

Del Re also coordinates with other partners that have an interest in the region, including the United States, which she said is important to ensure a “holistic” approach to the Sahel. She also credited the U.S. for providing vital security and intelligence support.

While Del Re said it is important for the EU to be in alignment with the steps taken by ECOWAS — which include imposing a trade embargo, cutting off financial aid, freezing Mali’s assets, and closing borders — a group of NGOs warned in a statement Wednesday that European sanctions could escalate humanitarian suffering.

Within Mali, 1 in 3 people rely on humanitarian aid, and the country is experiencing the worst food insecurity in 10 years, the NGOs wrote. Seventy percent of Mali’s food is imported, and 1.2 million people are facing a food crisis, the group said.

“It’s imperative that the international community keeps responding to people’s urgent needs, and that any new sanctions have concrete humanitarian exemptions. These must be monitored and implemented, or the most vulnerable people in Mali will pay the price,” said Franck Vannetelle, Mali country director at the International Rescue Committee, in the statement.

In a few weeks, Brussels will host a meeting between EU representatives and members of the Group of Five for the Sahel — a regional organization that includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger — Del Re said.