G5 Sahel confirms continuing to defeat terrorism, but researcher says they only have meetings
The ninth session of the G5 Sahel Defense and Security Committee,
which was hosted by Mauritania in the capital Nouakchott on Thursday, October
24, was attended by the leaders of the armies of the five member countries
(Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso), in addition to French General
François Lecointre, chief of staff of the French armies, and the commander of
the Operation Barkhane forces in the Sahel region. According to the final
statement, the armies of the Sahel countries will not stop in the face of the
brutal terrorism that has recently craved the region.
Mohamed Aznaki Ould Sid Ahmed, a military and security
expert at the Permanent Secretariat of the G5 Sahel, said that the results
achieved so far confirm that the group is on the right track and determined more
than ever to defeat the terror of armed organizations deployed in the Sahel-Saharan
region.
For his part, Lecointre praised the results achieved by the
G5 Sahel Joint Force despite the lack of resources available in some countries,
adding that international partners and financiers will continue to support the
Sahel with funds and weapons.
Burkina Faso’s Army Chief of Staff General Moise Minoungou,
the rotating chairman of the Defense and Security Committee, stressed the
difficult security situation in the Sahel-Saharan region due to the violence
witnessed by terrorist operations carried out by armed organizations, which the
development process pursued by the G5 countries.
The G5 Sahel countries, in addition to international powers,
face difficulties and constraints related to the geopolitical and human nature
of the region, which extends from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel and the
Sahara, reflecting the political and security situation and becoming more
violent. The regional and international forces, headed by the United States,
have worked to limit the spread of armed terrorist organizations. In 2014, they
founded the G5 Sahel group, given that West Africa, with its valuable mines and
resources, is an important hub for major powers and is a crucial point for the
security and stability of a number of other countries.
The Sahel countries are seeking to limit the spread of
terrorist organizations, as well as to develop broader, more effective and
comprehensive coordination mechanisms to assist countries experiencing activity
by armed organizations through more integration and cooperation between the
Sahel countries in the areas of intelligence and security. This was confirmed
by the meeting of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara with his Senegalese
counterpart Macky Sall on the sidelines of talks between the two parties in
June 2019.
African affairs researcher Nasser Maamoun Issa said that the
meetings are numerous but the result is one, adding that there are countries
that can provide logistical support, others can provide financial support, and still
others can provide military support, but so far there has not been a serious
step taken on the ground to face armed organizations. He stressed that Egypt
has enough experience to provide logistical and military support, and that
there are countries that deserve support such as Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger, where
terrorist groups have found a fertile environment for the establishment of
camps and the recruitment of young people.
Issa said that terrorists in the Sahel are becoming
increasingly sophisticated, with funding from human trafficking, drugs and
money laundering.
The confrontation between the G5 Sahel and terrorists favors
radical groups with strong military support, updated logistical information and
international protection given by some countries, which are among the reasons
for the emergence of these movements, Issa said, pointing out that each of these
factors strengthen these groups against the G5 Sahel, which only has meetings but
no meaningful support or information on the ground.
