Military, political and development actions need to be refocused to achieve the objectives of peace in this vast, almost deserted territory.
The Prime Minister, Moctar Ouane, chaired, yesterday at the Alioune Blondin Bèye Peacekeeping School (EMP-ABB), the opening of the work of a high-level international seminar, of three days, on " initiatives to manage the crisis in the Sahel ”. Initiated by EMP-ABB, the meeting is funded by Japan.
If the extent of the mobilization for the benefit of the Sahel is to be welcomed in view of the importance of the challenges to be taken up in the region, it nevertheless raises a certain number of questions which will form the framework of this seminar entitled "Initiatives de gestion de la crisis in the Sahel ”. Through this meeting, the aim is to help guide the action of the States of the region and key players in the international community towards strengthening and better aligning regional initiatives for security, regional stabilization and development in the Sahel.
The participants will seize this high-level seminar as an opportunity to articulate the challenges and / or needs in the areas identified in each State concerned, and to put them in perspective with the regional dynamics in progress or to come.
At the end of the work, a summary report including the recommendations of the seminar will be prepared by the Sahelo-Saharan Geopolitics Observatory and subsequently submitted to the management of conflicts and crises in the Sahel. This, as a contribution to the ongoing efforts of States in the region and of the international community as a whole.
The opening ceremony of the meeting brought together several personalities around the Prime Minister, namely the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the representative of the Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel, Mahamadou Samaké, the Ambassador from Japan to Mali, Daisuke Kuroki. According to the representative of the executive secretary of the G5 Sahel, alongside regional strategies, there are country actions and approaches to ensure inclusive development in the Sahelian space. According to Mahamadou Samaké, security crisis management strategies must integrate the “prevention of the phenomenon” dimension which requires a diversified range of means of action which complement the strictly military aspect. "The G5 Sahel is part of this holistic approach," he clarified.
The response to the crisis in the Sahel must be collective
The special representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Mali recalled that one of the lessons to be learned from the G5 Sahel summit recently held in Chad is the importance of mobilization, of the growing awareness that the threat is global. And that the response to the crisis in the Sahel must be collective. It also emerged that there is a real need to continue the coordination and synchronization of efforts because the cancer is now metastatic. For Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the response to the crisis in the Sahel must be inseparable from supporting the Sahelian states and strengthening their institutions.
For his part, the Ambassador of Japan said that the prevention of violent extremism, transnational organized crime and community conflicts remain the best parameter for peace and development. And Daisuke Kuroki to hope that this seminar will serve as a space for sharing experiences in order to develop the mechanisms for the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
In his opening speech, the Prime Minister noted that new initiatives such as the G5 Sahel and the Sahel Alliance have emerged and have made it possible to develop the mechanisms for combating violent extremism and terrorism towards a more comprehensive and inclusive approach. Military and security operations, particularly those against radical and criminal armed groups, are essential to reduce their nuisance capacities and protect civilian populations. Nevertheless, tempered Moctar Ouane, if military and security action is necessary, it alone cannot be enough. This is why, he justified, the government is committed not only to refocusing the security agenda around the protection of civilians, but also to proceed to a better balance of the different pillars relating to governance, security and development.
Source: L'Essor