Hoge Vertegenwoordiger Catherine Ashton over een Strategie voor de Sahel (en)

Honourable Members of Parliament, Colleagues,

Ten days ago two young Frenchmen were kidnapped in the centre of Niger's capital, Niamey and killed by their abductors a few hours later. The EU has condemned this appalling crime and I reiterate the condolences to their families, as well as to those of Niger's officers killed during the ensuing shooting. I would also like to express our solidarity with the French and Nigerien authorities.

Another five French citizens are still held hostage somewhere in the desert of Northern Mali by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Only within the last year, ten European citizens were kidnapped, and four were killed.

The security situation in the Sahel is alarming. Organised crime networks, weak state presence in the desert zones, low capacities of security sectors. In addition, wide-spread poverty, drought and food shortages. These threats pose a serious challenge to development work and prospects, as it has become too risky for development actors to continue their operations in this environment.

The EU and its Member States have been contributing for several years to tackling the development and security problems in individual Sahel countries. However, threats to security transgress national borders and the only possible and effective response is a regional and a comprehensive one. We need to make the ongoing European engagement in the Sahel more coherent, coordinated and more effective.

The Foreign Affairs Council of last October tasked me to prepare in association with the Commission, a Strategy for Sahel, for the beginning of this year. A Strategy which would be based on a holistic and integrated approach, making use of various instruments in a coherent way to foster security, stability, development and good governance in the Sahel.

To respond to the complexity of the challenges in the Sahel, we have to act at various levels.

A political and diplomatic dimension is necessary to facilitate dialogue between the Sahel countries, which continue to harbour mutual distrust. We should build on national strategies, where they exist, and encourage the setting up of regional initiatives and tools to jointly address the security threats. In parallel the EU should reinforce dialogue on security in the Sahel with the Maghreb countries, the regional organisations (African Union, ECOWAS, CENSAD - Community of Sahel-Saharan States), but also with the international community at large, in particular the UN, the US and Canada.

We need to assist the Sahel countries in enhancing the capabilities of their security sectors: the army, the police, the justice and border control systems at the level of each country. They must be able to effectively re-establish the rule of law and security and redeploy the State authority in the most sensitive regions. The EU will encourage regional cooperation between Mali, Mauritania and Niger at the operational level so that they can jointly and more effectively face the threat of AQIM, organised crime and domestic banditry.

In a longer term, the EU will continue to contribute to the development of the Sahel countries to help them increase their capabilities to provide social services and development to the populations. In individual countries, we will continue to promote internal stability and help find solutions socio-economic and ethnic tensions.

To prevent and fight against extremism and radicalisation, the EU should support the States and legitimate non state actors, in designing and implementing strategies and activities aiming at fighting Islamist radicalisation and promoting democratic, tolerant and non-violent societal visions.

ur endeavour will be to use in a coherent manner the various short term and long term instruments that the EU has at its disposal in order to implement the different components of the Strategy. Member States' engagement will of course be part of the Strategy.

I am working closely with Commissioner Piebalgs, whose involvement in the preparation of this Security and Development Strategy is essential to ensure the necessary resources for its implementation.

Honourable Members of Parliament, Dear Colleagues,

I am convinced that this new comprehensive and holistic strategy, continuing the political, diplomatic and operational development strands of EU engagement in the Sahel will give a new impetus to tackling the multiple threats and challenges that the region faces. I am looking forward to presenting the Strategy in a few weeks time and to duly involve in discussions with the European Parliament.

Thank you.