The joint invitation of the Mauritanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, in the presidency-in-office of the G5 Sahel the EU top diplomat Josep Borrell Fontelles, and the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, a ministerial meeting of the Coalition for the Sahel in plenary format was held by videoconference, this Friday, June 12, 2020.

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This first meeting of the Coalition, in response to the call from the G5 Sahel countries, brought together some sixty representatives of states and international institutions. The first works of the Coalition were thus able to be held in an enlarged format, as the European Union and the heads of state of the G5 Sahel had called for during the video conference on April 28, 2020 which devoted the joint establishment of the Coalition for the Sahel and the Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel (P3S).

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Participants expressed their commitment to support the implementation of G5 Sahel action. Their intervention will be carried out according to the four pillars of the Coalition for the Sahel: fight against terrorism, strengthening of the military capacities of the G5 Sahel States, support for the return of the State and the administrations in the territory, development aid.

They took note of the progress made and the initiatives under way. These include the implementation of the Priority Investment Program, the ramp-up of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, the launch of Task Force Takuba, the military contribution of the African Union currently underway. finalization, progress within the framework of the peace process in Mali, strengthening of the mandate and enlargement of the geographical scope of the European training mission EUTM Mali, commitment of the European Union in favor of the redeployment of the ‘State under the P3S, as well as exchanges within the Sahel Alliance in favor of a more integrated territorial approach.

The participants underlined their common determination to support the efforts of the G5 Sahel to face the challenges that remain and to tackle the structural causes of instability: poverty, fragile growth and development, climate shock, while respecting human rights. and international humanitarian law, and the protection of the most disadvantaged.

The general principles of the Coalition were recalled: mobilization and solidarity with the Sahel, mutual accountability, representativeness of each participant, common and balanced integrated approach between the four pillars, subsidiarity and complementarity: no duplication or authority over existing structures .

To this end, the partners agreed to hold a meeting in restricted format in July to prepare for a next ministerial meeting after the summer. According to the progress of the work, the G5 Sahel will host, in agreement with the partners of the Coalition, during 2021, an extraordinary Summit of Heads of State.