Publications /
Policy Brief

Back
Download PDF
Religious Statecraft in the Sahel
Authors
Hisham Aidi
April 8, 2020
Related topics: 
International Relations
Diplomacy
Security & Defense
Conflict resolution
Africa
Sahel

In January 2020, French president Emmanuel Macron hosted an emergency summit for the heads of state of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad (the G5 Sahel group). The participants agreed to set up the Coalition for the Sahel to tackle the region’s ongoing security crisis. The conflicts in the border regions of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have left more than 10,000 people dead, and displaced over a million. The French president committed an additional 600 troops to join the 4,500-strong French contingent that is leading Operation Barkhane. Macron is trying to persuade other states to contribute troops. The African Union recently said it would commit 3,000 troops. Estonia and the Czech Republic have also agreed to send soldiers, and negotiations are underway with Sweden, Finland, and Norway. As the Trump administration publicly considers withdrawing American troops and closing its airbase in Niger, it appears that France will be leading ‘War on Terror’ in the Sahel.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Twenty-Four Hours of Turmoil: The Wagner Uprising and Its Far-Reaching Impact on Russia and Beyond
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    August 4, 2023
    Twenty-Four Hours June 23-24, 2023. Over those days, Russia, the sanctioned world power, was not destabilized by the nuclear enemy in Washington, but by one man, who made his wealth serving food to school children and soldiers. A caterer who attempted a revolution. A bald man, who apparently wore wigs during his days off, as the Russian secret police claimed to have discovered when they searched his home in St Petersburg. The photos of the wig-wearing Yevgeny Prigozhin were shown o ...
  • Download PDF
    1999 – 2020 LE MAROC EN AFRIQUE : Diplomatie, Sécurité & Développement
    Authors
    Amine Harastani Madani
    July 29, 2020
    Parler de de l’Union africaine sans évoquer la place qu’y occupe le Maroc serait incomplet, car le Royaume a contribué activement à la construction africaine, s’en est séparé, en signe de protestation contre le non-respect de la légalité internationale par les organes de la défunte Organisation de l’Unité africaine pour, ensuite, y retourner, dans le cadre de l’Union africaine. Doit-on parler de retour ou d’admission ? Indépendamment de la réponse apportée à cette question, il convi ...
  • Download PDF
    Religious Statecraft in the Sahel
    Authors
    Hisham Aidi
    April 8, 2020
    In January 2020, French president Emmanuel Macron hosted an emergency summit for the heads of state of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad (the G5 Sahel group). The participants agreed to set up the Coalition for the Sahel to tackle the region’s ongoing security crisis. The conflicts in the border regions of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have left more than 10,000 people dead, and displaced over a million. The French president committed an additional 600 troops to join t ...