2024-04-11 06:36:00
The Sahelian scene has been transformed for several decades into a chessboard on which the shadows of jihadist groups are deployed, with deadly frenzy. Mostly affiliated with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, they orchestrate a macabre ballet from this African expanse, sadly placing themselves at the top of the most sinister entities on the planet.
The barometer of chaos, the Global Terrorism Index, places the Sahel at the top of the areas affected by this modern plague: it causes almost half of the world’s mourning, with nearly 4,000 souls lost, and concentrates a quarter of the attacks. In the sinister list of exhausted nations, four stars of this region, Burkina Faso as sentinel, followed by Mali, Nigeria and Niger, shine with a funereal glow. Faced with this tumult, Europe, and Spain on watch, understand the imperative of pacification of the Sahel.
The Spanish government, scrutinizing this part of the African chessboard where coups d’état emerge and the dark figures of jihadists roam at ease, detects a tangible threat. The concern is not feigned; it is that of a vigilant neighbor who fears that the storm will pass through the walls of his garden.
This security emergency shines through the pages of the 2023 National Security Report of the Department of National Security (DSN) of the Presidency of the Spanish Government. He paints the Sahel not as a backdrop, but as a critical foreground for Iberian serenity.
The Sahel is the scene of a fierce fight against a terrorist hydra with a thousand faces. Far from being a simple geopolitical news item, the tumult which is agitating this region resonates all the way to the gates of Europe, awakening a particularly worrying echo in the corridors of the Spanish Alcazar. The latter sees it as a potential nest of coups and a hotbed from which waves of irregular migration can emerge, carrying with them the risk of terrorist infiltration.
The Sahel could reflect the turbulence on broader horizons: the Maghreb, the Gulf of Guinea, Benin and Togo. This report, relayed by the pen of “Europa Press”, does not only map the situation; he calls for a start, for a stabilization strategy to block the way for jihadist stratagems eyeing Spanish and European lands.
According to the most recent data from the Global Terrorism Index, nearly half of the terrorism-related loss of life is recorded in this desert alone, shaking nations such as Burkina Faso and Mali. In this complex web, Algeria, a neighbor with vague intentions, stands out for its ambivalent influence.
On the one hand, the Algiers capos regime participates in international dialogues aimed at easing regional tensions; on the other hand, reports indicate that it could, in its hegemonic drive, sponsor jihadist groups which sow chaos in the north of Mali, which somewhere is already a reality. A strategy of double standards, which leaves partners and neighbors perplexed.
Unfortunately for the seniles next door, this is only a new loss of influence for Algeria in the Sahel, since Mauritania has also declined an offer from Algiers in favor of a rapprochement with Morocco. Faced with Algeria’s equivocal position, Morocco poses as a mediator.
With a foreign policy focused on cooperation and dialogue, the Kingdom strives to build ties of trust with its Sahelian neighbors, promoting peace and regional stability, and in turn, securing European interests. A peacemaker, Morocco is recognized for its significant contribution via its Blue Helmets, but also for its innovative anti-terrorism strategy.
His security diplomacy was further illustrated during the Africa Focus Group in Cotonou, where, in consultation with allied nations, he advocated a common strategy against Daesh. In this context, a high-level meeting took place yesterday, under the auspices of the head of Diplomacy, Nasser Bourita, who welcomed Hamadi Meimou, coalition envoy for the Sahel.
This tête-à-tête reflects Morocco’s commitment to weaving the threads of peace and regional development, in the momentum of the Atlantic initiative inspired by King Mohammed VI. Meimou’s visit to Rabat coincides with a critical moment, where the G5 Sahel is crumbling (withdrawal of countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso), thus pushing certain states to move towards the “Alliance of Sahel States. The dialogue focused on the role of the coalition in this complex security mosaic.
Europe, and Spain in particular, must deal with this Sahelian partition where every note is unpredictable. Between the necessary support to be provided to the weakened states of the Sahel and vigilance against Algeria, the strategies to be adopted are formidable in complexity. Morocco, with its diplomatic approach, could prove to be the key asset of this regional configuration. One thing is certain however, the Sahel remains a major issue for international security, a challenge that neither Europe nor Spain can afford to neglect.
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