G5 Sahel

G5 Sahel or G5S (French: G5 du Sahel) is an institutional framework for coordination of regional cooperation in development policies and security matters in west Africa. It was formed on 16 February 2014 in Nouakchott, Mauritania,[2] at a summit of five Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.[3] It adopted a convention of establishment on 19 December 2014,[4] and is permanently seated in Mauritania. The coordination is organised on different levels. The military aspect is coordinated by the respective countries' Chiefs of Staff. The purpose of G5 Sahel is to strengthen the bond between economic development and security,[5] and together battle the threat of jihadist organizations operating in the region (AQIM, MOJWA, Al-Mourabitoun, and Boko Haram).

G5 du Sahel
G5 Sahel
logo of G5 Sahel
logo
Carte des pays membres du G5 Sahel.png
Carte des pays membres du G5 Sahel.png
Administrative centerNouakchott, Mauritania
SpokenFrench
TypeSecurity alliance
Membership
4 states
Leaders
• Executive Secretary
Maman Sambo Sidikou[1]
Establishment16 February 2014 (2014-02-16)
Currency
3 currencies
Website
G5Sahel.org

On May 15, 2022, Mali announced its withdrawal from the alliance.

History

On 1 August 2014, France launched a counterterrorism mission, Operation Barkhane, deploying 3,000 soldiers in the member states of G5 Sahel.[6] On 20 December, G5 Sahel, with the backing of the African Union, called on the United Nations Security Council to set up an international force to "neutralize armed groups, help national reconciliation, and establish stable democratic institutions in Libya."[7] This was met with opposition from Algeria.

In June 2017, France requested that the United Nations Security Council approve the deployment of a counterterrorism task force consisting of 10,000 soldiers to G5 Sahel.[8][9] The German Bundeswehr has agreed to contribute around 900 troops of its own to help the mission. They will mostly be utilized in the Gao region of Northern Mali for surveillance purposes.[10] The European Union agreed to provide 50 million euros towards financing the force.[8] Russia and China expressed support for the operation, while the United States and the United Kingdom did not agree about financing.[11][12] France and the U.S. reached an agreement on 20 June 2017.[13] The next day, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the deployment of a G5 Sahel counterterrorism task force.[14] On 29 June, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced that the French military would cooperate with G5 Sahel.[15]

Member states
Name Accession date Current head of state
 Burkina Faso 16 February 2014 Ibrahim Traoré
Ibrahim Traoré
 Chad 16 February 2014 Mahamat Déby
Mahamat Déby
 Mauritania 16 February 2014 Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
 Niger 16 February 2014 Abdourahamane Tchiani

Withdrawal of Mali

In 2022, Chad, which holds the presidency of the G5 Sahel, is due to give way to Mali, which is due to take over. However, some countries in the alliance are opposed to Mali's presidency, due to the political situation in Mali (which saw two coups d'état in August 202à and May 2021). In response to this opposition, the Malian authorities announced in a communiqué signed by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization and broadcast on public television on May 15, 2022 that "the government of Mali has decided to withdraw from all G5 Sahel bodies and authorities, including the Joint Force", and denounced "instrumentalization" [16] · [17] · .[18] In August 2023, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who holds the presidency of the G5 Sahel, declared that he "regretted Mali's withdrawal" and that he "hoped it would be very temporary ".[19]

See also

References
  1. "G5 Sahel : Maman Sidikou remplace Najim Elhadj Mohamed – Jeune Afrique".
  2. Chavez, Dominic (14 July 2014). "Sahel G5 Meeting Brings Together Governments and Donors to Accelerate Regional Development". World Bank. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  3. "African nations form G5 to work on Sahel security, development". Reuters. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  4. "Convention portant: Creation du G5 Sahel" (PDF). G5Sahel.org (in French). Sahel G5. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  5. "Communiqué final du Sommet des Chefs d'Etat du G5 du Sahel : Création d'un cadre institutionnel de coordination et de suivi de la coopération régionale dénommé G5 du Sahel". LeSahel.org (in French). Office National d'Edition et de Presse. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  6. Larivé, Maxime (7 August 2014). "Welcome to France's New War on Terror in Africa: Operation Barkhane". The National Interest. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  7. Lagneau, Laurent (20 December 2014). "G5 Sahel calls for UN intervention in Libya, in agreement with the African Union" (in French). Military Zone. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  8. Chémali, Alain (8 June 2017). "Mali: la France propose à l'ONU le déploiement d'une force africaine au Sahel" (in French). geopolis.francetvinfo.fr. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  9. "La France va demander à l'ONU d'autoriser une force antiterroriste au Sahel". La Chaîne Info (in French). 7 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  10. Julia Maria Egleder (2 February 2018). "Pulling together". D+C, development and cooperation. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  11. "Force du G5 Sahel: la France confrontée aux réticences des Etats-Unis à l'ONU - RFI". RFI Afrique (in French). Radio France Internationale. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  12. Bourreau, Marie (16 June 2017). "Aux Nations unies, Paris et Washington s'opposent sur la force antiterroriste du G5 Sahel". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  13. "ONU: accord entre Paris et Washington sur une force anti-jihadistes au Sahel". La Dépêche (in French). Toulouse. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  14. "Security Council Welcomes Deployment of Joint Force to Combat Terrorism Threat, Transnational Crime in Sahel, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2359 (2017)". United Nations. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  15. "French military to work with G5 Sahel troops". Radio France Internationale. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  16. "Le Mali annonce son retrait de l'organisation régionale G5 Sahel". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  17. "En signe de protestation, le Mali se retire du G5 Sahel et de sa force militaire antijihadiste". France 24 (in French). 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  18. "Le Mali se retire du G5 Sahel". Franceinfo (in French). 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  19. AfricaNews (2023-07-11). "G5 Sahel : le président mauritanien plaide pour le retour du Mali". Africanews (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-05.
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