Our latest ETTG collective report entitled” Conflicts and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa: Is there still a role for the EU-AU Partnership? “ is now available.
Building upon a background paper and discussions held at multi-city events in Brussels and Dakar, the report gathers a comprehensive approach on the ongoing crisis in the Sahel region and offers a set of key recommendations.
The events gathered over 120 participants in a span of two days and counted on interventions by African experts, European officials, renowned researchers, ambassadors, ministers and international organisations.
The political and security context in the Sahel is extremely complex, characterized by military coups, weak regional institutions, and multipolar competition. This has strained the EU-AU relationship and reduced the capacity to prevent and reduce conflicts.
The region can benefit from a coordinated approach that carefully navigates the situation by developing tailored packages of integrated actions that combine peace and security measures with economic and social initiatives.
Amongst our key recommendations are the following:
- As political instability persists in the Sahel, tailored and combined peace-security-economic initiatives from the EU and AU are required.
- Open communication with military governments is crucial, testing Europe’s global power in a multipolar context. Strategic patience is vital to avoid regional collapse.
- Rebooting EU-AU relations needs a clear African strategy for internal cohesion and equal partnerships with external powers.
- Lifting sanctions on Niger and addressing root causes like poverty and weak development are more effective than sanctions hindering civilians. Cooperation is key to tackling systemic issues.
More on the Brussels event here
More on the Dakar event here
