Sahel/ Terrorism: Europe is promising help and assistance

By on October 26, 2010
The European Union intends to use various tools at its disposal in a coherent manner to promote security, stability, development and good governance in the Sahel, composed of Niger, Mauritania and Mali.

The kidnappings, hostages and bombings in the region led by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have put the Sahel in a high priority for Europe. The drug trafficking and crime in the area are of concern now to the Europeans, who see a systemic risk in spreading the danger to Eastern Africa and rejoin Somalia in an arc of permanent crisis. The immediate action is to provide assistance to developing countries of the Sahel or perhaps to send experts to improve the functioning of the local governments and their judicial systems; and in a longer term, to plan for the possibility of sending a training mission to help the customs and police forces in the concerned countries. Although such mission will not be  easy to decide, due to the reluctance of several countries, starting with Britain and even Germany, but also the sensitivity of other countries in the region. Unfortunately and so far, the cooperation between the major countries in the region has malfunctioned, against Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, which has multiplied attacks and kidnappings.

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