German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who travels to West Africa on Monday, hopes to expand cooperation with Senegal and Ivory Coast to prevent instability in the Sahel from spreading to the rest of the region.
“If more countries in West Africa become unstable, this will not only have dramatic consequences for the local population, but also a direct impact on our security in Europe,” the minister said ahead of her two-day visit to the region.
Baerbock specifically mentioned Senegal as an important mediator in the region.
Senegal and Ivory Coast are among the few remaining democracies in West Africa and are seen as two of the most important partners for Europe as more Sahel countries turn to Russia.
Baerbock’s visit to Senegal on Monday and Ivory Coast on Tuesday comes amid a wave of instability in the Sahel region, dubbed the coup belt by some observers, following military uprisings in Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon since 2020.
While many of the new military governments have turned their backs on relations with the European Union, withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and sought support from Russian forces, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire have continued their relations with the West.
The populations of the two coastal states and also of “other countries bordering the Sahel live under the constant threat of terror and violence from neighbouring countries also entering their societies,” Baerbock said.
On Monday, the German minister will meet her Senegalese counterpart Yassine Fall, together with newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in Dakar.
Senegal has not experienced a violent conflict since its independence from France in 1960.
Migration and renewable energies are two topics likely to be discussed. German business representatives will accompany Baerbock on her visit.
Electric bus system to tackle environmental problems in Dakar
Baerbock will present in Dakar the electric Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, one of the first of its kind in Africa.
It came into operation in May and was funded by the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. The system is intended to help reduce air quality in the city.
Germany “is focusing on offers that benefit people on both sides today and is jointly tackling the challenges of the future,” the minister said.
The EU’s Global Gateway initiative aims to invest up to €300 billion ($326 billion) in infrastructure in emerging and developing countries over the next few years.
Record number of migrants heading to the Canary Islands
Last year, a record number of people set off in small fishing boats along the 1,500-kilometre-long sea route to the Canary Islands in Spain to reach Europe.
According to the UN, nearly 40,000 migrants from Africa reached the islands in 2023 – twice the average in previous years. At least 1,000 people died or disappeared. Even more arrivals are expected this year. And for the first time in 2023, the number of people leaving from Senegal exceeded the number of arrivals from much closer Morocco.