Publication

This paper analyzes four interlinked sets of challenges facing the implementation of the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel. The first part looks at the EU’s shifting approach to the region, aimed at reconciling policy inconsistencies and geographical imbalances. The second section analyses the crisis in Mali following the Western intervention in Libya and its dampening effects on cooperation among Sahelian states. Third, the paper examines how the limited role originally envisaged for Nigeria and Algeria became a critical missing piece that constrained the strategy’s impact. Lastly, it offers some thoughts on how the EU can recalibrate its engagement better to reflect the region’s new geopolitical realities.