As insecurity intensifies in the Sahel, the former Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, is sounding the alarm. In the face of what he calls the “project of a regional Islamic caliphate” in the process of consolidation, he calls for a broad, structured and coordinated response at the continent’s level. According to him, Senegal can no longer consider itself as a simple observer, because the threat now directly affects its stability. In a recent public statement, Mr. Gadio stressed that the actions of jihadist groups are no longer limited to the known areas of Mali, Burkina Faso or Niger, but that they tend to extend to neighboring States. Senegal, which has so far been spared major attacks, is in the immediate orbit of this growing instability. The former head of Senegalese diplomacy called for a reinforced cooperation that would include not only the G5 Sahel countries, but also Mauritania, Morocco, Chad and the coastal states such as Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire or Benin. The approach he defends goes beyond the simple military response. Cheikh Tidiane Gadio insists on the need for a global strategy combining intelligence, development, education and deradicalization. It also warns of the urgency of a political outbreak, underlining that divisions between States and diplomatic ruptures, notably within ECOWAS, weaken the collective capacity to contain the phenomenon. Indeed, for him, without continental coordination, the expansion of armed groups risks crossing a critical threshold, putting at risk the stability of the whole of West Africa.
The threat of jihad in the Sahel: Cheikh Tidiane Gadio calls for a pan-African response
