The Diplomat
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, confirmed yesterday at the expanded G5 Sahel Summit Spain’s intention to significantly increase its contribution to the EU training mission in Mali (EUTM) to deal with the rise of jihadist terrorism in the region.
Sanchez made this confirmation during his speech, through a recorded video, at the summit held in N’Djamena (Chad) to support the efforts of the G5 Sahel countries -Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mali- to combat the presence of terrorism in that area.
The head of the Executive said he was concerned about the expansion of the activities of the jihadists to other West African countries and assured that Spain is committed “to peace and stability” in the region.
Thus, he highlighted the contribution that our country is already making to security in the Sahel through the EU Training Mission in Mali, currently led by a Spanish general and in which it is the main contributor of troops.
After this, he announced that “in the coming months” this contribution will be “significantly increased”. Spain’s commitment in this area also includes the provision of air transport means based in Dakar, supporting the missions of Barkhane, MINUSMA and the G5 Sahel Joint Force.
He also highlighted the success of European projects such as the P3S Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel initiative, to which Spain contributes, among other things, by leading – through the Guardia Civil – the GAR-SI Sahel, a project in which France, Italy and Portugal collaborate with the aim of extending the presence of the State throughout the territory, protecting its citizens and ensuring the provision of basic services.
Pedro Sánchez also stressed that “multilateralism and international cooperation based on mutual trust will allow us to find the best solutions for the Sahel”.
“Working together,” he added, “is vital to prevent the terrorist threat and violence from adding to a harsh humanitarian crisis and the difficult social and economic situation that has been further aggravated by the pandemic.
The President of the Government called for a redoubling of efforts to attend to the most vulnerable populations and to promote the economic and social development of the region and recalled that Spain’s development cooperation in the Sahel represents more than 100 million euros and almost a hundred projects.
The G5 Sahel Summit in N’Djamena stems from the extraordinary meeting in Nouakchott on June 30, in which Sánchez also participated and which agreed to promote the application of international humanitarian law and human rights, consolidate the rule of law, inclusive governance and intra-community dialogue in the countries of the G5 Sahel.
Within the framework of this summit, the II General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, whose presidency is held by Spain through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, who was in N’Djamena on Monday, was also held.
