If it does not open up to other countries, can the G5 Sahel die?

The president of the G5 Sahel, the Mauritanian Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, would like the G5 Sahel to open up to other countries. The survival of the organization depends on it...

Last February, the G5 Sahel held its very first extraordinary summit since the withdrawal of Mali, to whom should have returned the presidency. Bamako did not appreciate that Mauritania robbed him of this place and left the organization. What to ask what could still be used for the G5 Sahel. Faced with this withdrawal from Mali, the organization had also called on Bamako to return.

But in fact, the G5 Sahel, even before the departure of Mali, was only very ineffective. As explained by Geoffroy Chevignard, from the think tank Nimrod-Contemporary Defense and Security Issues, “the organization has always been defective. Mali started from the organization, the relevance of the latter questions, and its actors could seek to establish new partnerships. These would take the form of bilateral cooperation between the G5 Sahel States, new sub-regional cooperation, and cooperation with external actors, while the eyes of the great powers are turning in a revitalized way towards Africa. .

This is indeed the reflection launched by the current president of the G5 Sahel. Mauritanian Head of State Mohamed Ould Ghazouani wants to "revitalize" the organization, says Africa Intelligence, which also indicates that the Mauritanian president will make a series of proposals for the next G5 Sahel meeting which will take place this summer. in Nouakchott.

Towards bilateral cooperation or new memberships?

And among the avenues mentioned, the most plausible is “integration within a broader regional architecture”. But should new countries be integrated into a G5 Sahel which could thus become a G6 or a G7? Or should we simply launch, as indicated by the researcher Geoffroy Chevignard, proposing bilateral cooperation with third countries?

For several years, the absence of Algiers within the institution questions. Can the G5 Sahel indeed be effective in the sub-region without Algeria being a member? Security expert Abass Abdoulmooumouni believes that "even with Mali, the G5 Sahel cannot validly deal with terrorism without Algeria, which is another fairly significant weight that must be integrated today into the dynamics of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and which will absolutely imply the departure of France completely from the Sahel”.

Still, on the side of the G5 Sahel, we know that time is running out. Mali's withdrawal did a lot of damage to an already moribund organization. In February, the G5 Sahel launched a "call for the involvement and commitment of all partners to support the new dynamic". Mohamed Ould El-Ghazaouani hopes to breathe new life into this G5 Sahel, which would require greater involvement from the international community.