The G5-Sahel Summit congratulates His Excellency the President of the Republic for the remarkable results obtained during his term.
The 7th ordinary session of the Summit of Heads of State of the G-5 Sahel was held on 15 February 2021 in N’Djamena (Chad) under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, current President in Office of the G-5 Sahel, in the presence of their Excellencies Presidents Roch Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso, Bah N’Daw of Mali, Issoufou Mahamadou of Niger and Marshal Idriss Deby Itno of Chad.
The summit witnessed the participation, as guests, of their Excellencies Presidents Nana Akufu-Adoo of Ghana, Macky Sall of Senegal, Lieutenant General Brahim Gabir Ibrahim member of the Sovereign Transitional Council of Sudan and Saad Dine El Othman, Head of Government of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The work of the 7th ordinary session ended with an important final communique reviewing the main issues that were discussed by the Sahel leaders.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic
The Heads of State discussed the health situation in the G-5 Sahel space relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and deplored the numerous loss of human life recorded in the G-5 Sahel countries.
They also noted, with seriousness, the consequences on all socio-economic and cultural sectors of the G-5 Sahel countries, while hailing the efforts undertaken by the member states in the context of the fight against this pandemic and welcoming the considerable support of partners.
In terms of security
The Heads of State noted an improvement in the security situation in the G-5 Sahel countries, reflecting the determination of the defense and security forces (SDFs) engaged on the ground, as well as the growing resilience of populations in the face of the terrorist threat. In this context, they welcomed the efforts of the partners, highlighting the essential role played by the Barkhane force and paying tribute to the many civilian victims and to the soldiers who have lost their lives on the field of honor while fighting terrorism in the Sahel. They commended the good coordination between the G-5 Sahel countries’ SDFs, the Joint Force and partner forces, while calling for the continuation of this dynamic and for better coordination between the G-5 Sahel Joint Force and the Lake Chad Basin, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
The G5-Sahel leaders welcomed the approval by the African Union of support for the operational capacity of the Joint Force in an amount of US $ 20 million and reiterated their appeal to the international community and to the Security Council for consistent support for this Joint Force by placing it under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
The Heads of State highlighted the progress made in the framework of the peace process in Libya under the aegis of the United Nations and the African Union.
On the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the Heads of State decided to establish a prize called “Sahel Prize for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace” awarded to individuals, public and private institutions, or civil society organizations having done the best work for the prevention and resolution of conflicts and for the promotion of the culture of peace and tolerance between communities in the Sahel region.
As for development
The Heads of State took note of the status of implementation of the development and security strategy (SOS) of the G-5 Sahel countries and of the Priority Investment Program (PIP).
In this regard, they noted encouraging progress which remains to be improved owing to the high expectations of the populations.
They also discussed projects aimed at the fight against COVID-19, conflicts, climate change, women and young people empowerment, business resilience, etc.
In this context, the leaders of the G-5 Sahel countries congratulated the partners who contributed to the implementation of these projects, particularly the ADB, IFAD, FAO, WFP and BADEA.
The Heads of State praised the actions developed by the Sahel Alliance within the framework of the financing of development projects and in particular the finalization of the design of the G-5 Sahel facility developed by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development for the sum of 50 million Euros.
The 7th session also tackled the feasibility study of the trans-Sahelian railway construction project and instructions were given to the Council of Ministers and the Executive Secretariat of the G-5 Sahel to follow up on the project, notably through the search for strategic partners.
With regard to debt
The Heads of State discussed the problem of the G-5 Sahel countries’ debt in a context of uncertainty linked to the evolution of the health crisis with disastrous consequences at the health, economic, social, and budgetary levels. In this regard, they recalled their Declaration of 27 April 2020 on the COVID-19 pandemic made in Nouakchott in which they called for the outright cancellation of the G-5 Sahel countries’ debt.
Regarding the situation in Mali
The Heads of State welcomed the holding in February 2021 of the fifth high-level meeting of the Follow-up Committee on the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, resulting from the Algiers process. They encouraged the parties involved to consolidate this positive dynamic, urged the international community to strengthen its support for Mali during the Transition phase, and reaffirmed their attachment to the unity and integrity of the Republic of Mali.
Regarding the electoral processes in Burkina Faso and Niger
The Heads of State welcomed the successful holding of the presidential and legislative elections in Burkina Faso. They also welcomed the smooth conduct of the first round of presidential elections in Niger, while encouraging the concerned parties to work on the smooth conduct of the rest of the process.
As to the Coalition for the Sahel
The Heads of State welcomed the mobilization of the international community, through the establishment of the Coalition for the Sahel, following their repeated calls, while hoping that the enthusiasm observed will be reflected in better results at all levels on the ground.
In addition, they thanked the members of the Coalition for welcoming their proposed candidate for the post of High Representative of the Coalition in the person of Mr. Adoum Djime, while calling for synergy between the different mechanisms (Coalition, Alliance for the Sahel, P3S) and strong collaboration between the Executive Secretariat of the G-5 Sahel and the Secretariat of the Coalition for the Sahel).
The Heads of State expressed their deep gratitude to Marshal of Chad Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad, to the Government and people of Chad for the generous hospitality, the authentically African welcome and the attention they received throughout their stay in N’Djamena.
The Heads of State congratulated their brother, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, outgoing President, for his efforts and the remarkable results obtained during his term. These include, particularly, the adoption of the integrated priority action framework (CAPI, the launch of the Coalition for the Sahel, the diligent conclusion of the project to combat COVID-19 with the ADB, the initiatives taken to cancel the debt, the support given to Mali during the socio-political crisis which led to the establishment of the transitional phase.
For 2021, the G-5 Sahel rotating presidency will be held by Marshal of Chad Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad. The next ordinary summit is scheduled for February 2022 in Bamako, Mali.
This 7th ordinary session was attended by representatives of several countries (United Arab Emirates, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Kingdom of Spain, and France) and of several regional and international institutions and organizations (UN, AU, ECOWAS, OCI, Alliance Sahel, BADEA and the Pan African Institute for Global Affairs and Strategy).