France will struggle to refocus its Sahel strategy

Significance

Although France officially highlights the multilateral, multidimensional aspects of its operations in the Sahel, in practice the emphasis is on 'kinetic' operations and body counts, and less on development strategies.

Impacts

• Greater cooperation from other European powers in the Sahel could help enhance the legitimacy of French-led initiatives.
• Growing security concerns in the Sahel threaten to undermine efforts to advance medium- and long-term development goals.
• The humanitarian impact of COVID-19 in the Sahel will increase the flow of migratory movement towards Europe.