ETTG Collective Report 1/2024, Brüssel: European Think Tanks Group (ETTG)
As of 2023, the Sahel crisis has persisted for 12 years and has taken on a new and concerning aspect. Terrorist assaults in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, alongside ongoing military coups, are perpetuating instability throughout the entire region. Additionally, the growing rivalry between global powers like Russia and the West has added complexity to regional dynamics. Against this backdrop, the EU-African Union (AU) relations suffered, particularly in the field of peace and security. The aim of this paper is thus to analyse the challenges and opportunities for a renewed EU-AU partnership in a new geopolitical context.