11th meeting of the Coalition for the Sahel’s Contact Group

20 May 2024

At the invitation of the High Representative of the Coalition for the Sahel, Mr. Hamadi Meimou, 44 partner countries and organisations, including 14 from the Sahel and Africa, participated in the 11th Contact Group of senior officials around the theme « what are the proposals to revive international cooperation in the Sahel? ». This closed-door meeting was held under Chatham House Rule. Read the report here.

The round table discussion, chaired by Mr. Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), took place after introductory remarks of Mr. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chadians Abroad, of Mr. Abdessalam Mohamed Saleh, Mauritanian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development and Chair of the G5 Sahel Council of Ministers, of Ms. Martha Pobee, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, as well as Ms. Emanuela Del Re, Special Representative of the European Union (EU) for the Sahel. It was moderated by Mr. Awad Sakine Ahmad, Permanent Representative of the African Union (AU) to the EU, and Mr. Jonas Jonsson, Deputy Executive Director for Africa of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The discussions were preceded by a presentation of the indicator on violence in the Sahel of the Sahel and West Africa Club (SWAC) of the OECD after introductions by Mr. Sibiri Jean Zoundi, Director ad interim of the SWAC and Mr. Maman Sidikou, Senior Advisor, Center for Civilians in Conflict.

 

This 11^th Contact Group meeting was coordinated with the meeting of Special Envoys organised the day before by the Belgian Presidency of the EU and the EU’s Special Representative for the Sahel, as well as with the Steering Committee of the Sahel Alliance, the development pillar of the Coalition, held two days prior, also in Brussels.