A G 5 Sahel–France Summit is due to take place on 15 February in Ndjamena, Chad. Eight years after the successful deployment of French troops in Mali, the time has come for the allies to evaluate the situation so as to avoid the crumbling of the national consensuses on the conflict and to prevent their armies from getting bogged down. At the moment their most daunting enemy is the continuation of the status quo. How can they escape it?
Most of the opposition to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK) has hailed the August 18, 2020 coup d’état. They were hoping that the National Council for People Salvation (CNSP) would spare Mali from violent terrorists’ attacks and inter community killings as well as preventing a disastrous economic, social and political crisis. The return to civilians rule after a short Transition was also part of their expectations. The rampant occupation of the political space by the military has disseminated doubts.
In the Sahel, with Covid 19, 2020 will be a pivotal year in the fight against armed groups, some of which are supported from outside. Moreover, a year of Partnerships and quest for coherence in cooperative policies. Finally, a year of thinking on the responsibility to deliver, and thus to putting an end to conflicts. Despite Covid19 perverse effects and an increasing internationalisation.
BERLIN (IDN) – With the Ethiopia domestic conflict further escalating, the World Future Council has called upon conflicting parties to « end the devastating infighting, to respect international humanitarian law and provide safety for all the country citizens, specifically children, women and the elderly ».
The call comes in the wake of the United Nations reporting a considerable concern about military operations and airstrikes that have taken place in Tigray and Eritrea impacting on civilians, including women and children.
At the heart of the Sahel crisis was, and still is today, Mali where its future is at stake. Yet not just only she.
Militarily weakened and diplomatically vulnerable, states in the region, and their allies as well, should find a way out of the crisis and not just wait for it to happen.
