Mauritanian President Mouhamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani and his Chadian counterpart, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, have paved the way for the imminent dissolution of the G5 Sahel following the withdrawal of three other member countries (Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger) from this regional force.
« The Governments of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, which holds the rotating presidency of the G5 Sahel, and the Republic of Chad, a member of this organization (…), will implement all necessary measures in accordance with the provisions of the Convention Establishing the G5 Sahel, particularly in its Article 20, » states a joint statement released on Wednesday.
The mentioned article stipulates that « the G5 Sahel may be dissolved at the request of at least three member states. The Conference of Heads of State and Government pronounces the dissolution by a majority of member states and determines the modalities for the transfer of the organization’s assets. »
Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from all instances and organs of the G5 Sahel on December 1st, stating that the organization « struggles to achieve its objectives » after several years of operation and is plagued by « institutional heaviness and age-old burdens. » They followed in the footsteps of Mali, which had left the organization in May 2022.
Nouakchott and N’Djamena « take note of and respect the sovereign decision of the sister republics of Burkina Faso and Niger, » continues the joint statement, which also asserts that the two capitals plan to « continue their efforts with all Sahel countries to address the challenges facing the region. »
The G5 Sahel was established by the five countries in December 2014 to jointly combat terrorism and organized crime threatening the region. A joint military force was created in 2017, but its operations have so far not significantly diminished the terrorists’ firepower. Lack of resources is cited as one of the reasons for this situation. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all led by military juntas, recently established their own alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States .