There’s a good reason the European Union is taking the crisis in the Sahel seriously: The problems in this African region could cross borders and hit home, Strategic Europe Editor-in-Chief Judy Dempsey writes.
The European Union is among the largest donors to the Sahel. Just this month, the European Commission hosted a high-level gathering where a new partnership was launched to help people in the region cope with future crises.
But the bloc is not stopping there. In August, the European Union is planning to establish a police training mission in Niger, Dempsey says in this opinion piece for The New York Times. This is to help fight terrorism and organized crime in the country. The Nigerien government is concerned that separatists and Islamic fundamentalist groups from Mali may cross to its borders, Dempsey reports.
This strategy, including the bloc’s move to distribute food aid in southern Mali, is just one of several actions the European Union is taking to prevent the threat of terrorism from reaching Europe.
The reasoning behind EU’s move may raise a few eyebrows. But, as analysts Dempsey quotes said, at least Sahel’s issues are “finally getting some attention.”
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