Skip to main content

Sahel (Mali, Niger)

The Sahel region – which consists of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – is suffering from a number of conflicts whose impacts extend far beyond the region. There are currently six international peace operations in the region, with ZIF seconding personnel to four of them.

The Crisis in the Sahel Region

The countries of the Sahel region have long counted among the poorest in the world. They are caught up in a vicious circle of high population growth, conflicts over access to water and arable or pasture land, climate change, tensions between ethnic groups, ineffective security forces and weak state structures. The situation is exacerbated by the rise, both in numbers and capabilities, of radical Islamist groups.

The situation escalated in 2015, and the number of attacks in the region has doubled every year since then. In 2019 there were over 700 violent incidents with over 4,000 fatalities. Fear of violent attacks has forced over one million people in the region to flee their homes. The crisis jeopardised not only the security of the countries in the region, but also that of countries in North Africa, and ultimately in Europe as well.

International Reaction: Six Peace Operations

To stabilise the Sahel region, international organisations have deployed six peace operations of various sizes and with differing spectrums of tasks: Taken together, their total personnel size amounts to around 26,000.

    1.) MINUSMA

    • Responsible Organisation: UN
    • Deployment Area: Mali
    • Starting Date: since 2013
    • Personnel Capacity: 15,000
    • Annual Budget in Millions of Euros: 1,110

     

    2.) EUTM Mali

    • Responsible Organisation: EU
    • Deployment Area: Mali
    • Starting Date: since 2013
    • Personnel Capacity: 745
    • Annual Budget in Millions of Euros: 30

     

    3.) EUCAP Sahel Mali

    • Responsible Organisation: EU
    • Deployment Area: Mali
    • Starting Date: since 2015
    • Personnel Capacity: 140
    • Annual Budget in Millions of Euros: 33,5

    4.) EUCAP Sahel Niger

    • Responsible Organisation: EU
    • Deployment Area: Niger
    • Starting Date: since 2012
    • Personnel Capacity: 200
    • Annual Budget in Millions of Euros: 31,7

     

    5.) G5-Sahel Joint Force

    • Responsible Organisation: G5-Sahel
    • Deployment Area: G5-Sahel states
    • Starting Date: since 2017
    • Personnel Capacity: 5,000
    • Annual Budget in Millions of Euros: n.a.

     

    6.) Operation Barkhane

    • Responsible Organisation: France
    • Deployment Area: Sahel region
    • Starting Date: since 2014
    • Personnel Capacity: 5,100
    • Annual Budget in Millions of Euros: n.a.

     

                                                                                   As of March 2020

    Six International Peace Operations in the Sahel Region:

    1.) UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)

    MINUSMA is the oldest and, with around 12,000 military personnel (from over 50 nations), 1,700 police officers and 1,200 civilians deployed at various locations, it is by far the largest mission in the Sahel region. It also has the most extensive mandate:

    • Implementing the peace agreement concluded in 2015 between the government of Mali and various rebel groups in the north of the country;
    • Stabilising the region in the centre of Mali where the highest number of casualties are currently resulting from terrorist attacks and fighting between ethnic groups;
    • Protecting the Malian civilian population;
    • Monitoring human rights compliance;
    • Supporting humanitarian aid delivery.

    Combatting terrorist groups is explicitly not covered under the MINUSMA mandate. Nevertheless, MINUSMA is the most dangerous ongoing UN peace operation, with 129 fatalities to date.

     

    2.) EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali)

    This military training mission aims at improving the capabilities of Malian Armed Forces so that they can guarantee the territorial integrity of the country. So far, EUTM has trained over 13,000 Malian soldiers, both with a view to enhancing military capabilities, but also to building awareness of issues related to human rights and the rule of law. One component, the Regional Advisory and Coordination Cell (RACC), supports the Secretariat of the G5 Sahel in Nouakchott, Mauritania. The G5 Sahel Joint Force is made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad.

     

    3.) EU Capacity Building Mission in Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali)

    This civilian operation trains the Malian police force, national guard and national gendarmerie, coordinates international training measures and advises security forces and relevant ministries on human resources planning.

    ©Marco Dormino

    4.) EU Capacity Building Mission in Niger (EUCAP Sahel Niger)

    The tasks of EUCAP Sahel Niger are comparable to those of EUCAP Sahel Mali, i.e. the training of Nigerien police officers, national guard troops and gendarmerie. An additional focus of the mission’s work is on the support of Nigerien security forces in the protection of the country’s borders and in the fight against human trafficking.

     

    5.) G5-Sahel Joint Force (Force cojointe du G5 Sahel/ FC-G5S)

    The intervention force with a total capacity of 5,000 soldiers is not a peace operation in the conventional sense. The 1,000 soldiers from each of the G5 Sahel states (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) that make up the force primarily carry out counter-terrorist operations in their own country, but are also mandated to cross the borders to G5 neighbouring states in the pursuit of their targets. The joint operations focus on the border triangle of Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso. The development of police and civilian components is also planned. The FC-G5S is funded through a coalition of donors that includes the EU, France, Germany, the United States and Saudi Arabia. In practice, however, considerable problems still exist with regard to training, equipment and operational readiness of the FC-G5S.

     

    6.) Opération Barkhane

    The 5,100-person strong, predominantly French military mission operates throughout the Sahel region. Its tasks comprise both the support of national security forces and support for independent and MINUSMA-led offensive counter-terrorism operations. The word Barkhane is of Arabic origin and means “wandering dune.”

    The German Contribution in the Sahel Region

    There are currently six international peace operations in the region, with ZIF seconding personnel to four of them: MINUSMA, EUTM Mali, EUCAP Sahel Mali and EUCAP Sahel Niger.

    1.) MINUSMA

    Germany has been contributing to MINUSMA since the peace operation was launched in 2013. The engagement of the German military in the UN mission and in EUTM requires the annual approval of the German Parliament. Currently, 1,025 German soldiers are deployed with MINUSMA, the majority of whom are stationed in Camp Castor in Gao in northern Mali. The costs for the deployment to date are estimated at around €314 million.

    Germany also deploys personnel to MINUSMA headquarters in Bamako and operates an air transport base in Niamey (Niger) to provide logistical support and medical care. In addition, 12 German police officers and 14 civilian experts work at MINUSMA.

     

    2.) EUTM Mali

    Germany is one of the biggest contributors to the EU Mission EUTM, providing 162 military service members out of a total contingent of 745.

    3.) EUCAP

    Six German civilian personnel are currently working in EUCAP Sahel Mali, while three German police officers and five civilians are working in EUCAP Sahel Niger.

     

    4.) G5-Sahel Joint Force (FC-G5S)

    Germany is also making an important contribution to support the G5 Sahel states.

    From 2017 to 2020, a total of 1.7 billion euros has been earmarked for projects aimed at development cooperation, stabilisation and training of G5 military personnel and civilian security forces.


     

     

    (as of May 2020)