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06 Feb 2018

The G5 Sahel and its joint force

Country:

Burkina Faso

Topics:

Cross-border co-operation

Body:

On 16 February 2014, the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger met in Nouakchott to create the G5 Sahel, a regional body designed to co-ordinate strategies and policies on defence, security, governance, infrastructure and resilience in the Sahel. The G5 Sahel officially launched its joint force at an extraordinary summit on 2 July 2017. There is still a significant budget shortfall to make the force fully operational. Mobilising the necessary troops that will make up the joint force battalions is yet another challenge. Read on

05 Feb 2018

CILSS, World Bank sign funding agreement for Sahel irrigation initiative

Country:

Topics:

Agriculture & Fisheries

Climate & Climate change

Food security & Nutrition

Resilience

Sahara-Sahel

Members:

CILSS

Body:

On 5 February, CILSS and the World Bank signed a new funding agreement worth USD 20 million for the Sahel Irrigation Initiative Regional Support Project (PARIIS). The project covers six Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) and aims to improve stakeholders’ capacity to develop and manage irrigation and increase irrigated areas in the Sahel by 2024. Read on

06 Jan 2018

CILSS opens new training for water engineers

Country:

Topics:

Agriculture & Fisheries

Climate & Climate change

Members:

Body:

Following a request from the government of Burkina Faso, the CILSS Agrhymet Regional Centre will launch in Februrary a new training for water engineers. Improving water resource management is a key priority for the Sahel and West Africa. The application deadline is 20 January 2018. Read on

01 Jan 2018

Mauritania revamps its currency

Country:

Mauritania

Topics:

Economy

Body:

As of 1 January 2018, Mauritania is using a new series of polymer bills, and the currency was redenominated with 10 ouguiyas becoming one ouguiya. The former banknotes and coins will be progressively withdrawn and replaced until the end of June 2018. Many citizens expressed concern about losing purchasing power fearing a hidden devaluation. Read on

13 Dec 2017

G5 Sahel: urgent funding needs

Country:

Topics:

Development co-operation

Members:

Body:

On the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, France hosted a meeting in support of the G5 Sahel where he met with his counterparts from the G5 countries and other partner countries and organisations. The objective of the meeting was to speed up the structuring of the G5 Sahel at the military, political and financial levels, and make it operational. Read on

11 Nov 2017

Regional commitments to fight against coastal erosion

Country:

Topics:

Climate & Climate change

Environment

Resilience

Body:

At COP23, the World Bank organised a discussion, which was also transmitted on Facebook live, about the problem of coastal erosion and flooding in West Africa. The World Bank has set up the West Africa Coastal Areas Programme (WACA) to address the problem. These issues severely affect coastal and island countries from Mauritania to Gabon. Read on

01 Nov 2017

Shifts in the US strategy in the Sahel

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Topics:

Development co-operation

Opinion:

Members:

Body:

The ambush that killed four American soldiers in Niger on 4 October has stirred up a public debate in the US. The controversy over the nature of the US intervention in Niger has been fuelled by the US military’s lack of transparency about this operation. With the need to step up the fight against Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the region, the United States may increase its presence and abandon the low-profile strategy that it has preferred until recently. Read on

03 Jul 2017

G5 Sahel leaders launch joint military force

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Topics:

Members:

Body:

Following the green light from the United Nations on 21 June, G5 Sahel leaders officially launched a joint military force (FC-G5S) during an extraordinary summit held on 2 July in Bamako. French President Emmanuel Macron participated in the event. He confirmed that the French would back the new force and called for its rapid and effective implementation. Read on

05 Jun 2017

The EU supports the G5 Sahel joint force

Country:

Topics:

Cross-border co-operation

Democracy & Peace

Development co-operation

Members:

Body:

Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, and Angel Losada, EU Special Representative for the Sahel, and the G5 Sahel Foreign Ministers (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) met on 5 June in Bamako, Mali, to discuss their strategic partnership. They want to move the establishment of the joint armed force forward to fight against terrorism and to secure, among other things, the border area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Read on

04 Jun 2017

ECOWAS 51st Summit focuses on reforms

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Topics:

Members:

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On Sunday, 4 June, West African leaders met in Monrovia for the 51st Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). On this occasion, they commended the peace efforts of the organisation’s member states whose armed forces have intervened in The Gambia (ECOMIG) and Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB), while warning against the multiple threats to the region’s stability. During the summit, at which Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf handed over the reins to her Togolese counterpart Faure Gnassingbé, the heads of state made several strategic decisions. Read on

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Mauritania

The G5 Sahel and its joint force

CILSS, World Bank sign funding agreement for Sahel irrigation initiative

CILSS opens new training for water engineers

Mauritania revamps its currency

G5 Sahel: urgent funding needs

Regional commitments to fight against coastal erosion

Shifts in the US strategy in the Sahel

G5 Sahel leaders launch joint military force

The EU supports the G5 Sahel joint force

ECOWAS 51st Summit focuses on reforms

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Mohamed Abdellahi Ebbe