In 2017, the deterioration of the security situation in the G5 Sahel countries prompted the Heads of State of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to formalise the creation of the G5 Sahel Joint Force. The mission of this cross-border Force is to pool efforts to fight against terrorism and cross-border crime, contribute to restoring the authority of States over their territories and facilitate the development and implementation of humanitarian actions.
The European Union has decided to support the G5JF through several cooperation actions, including €196.4 million of support, entrusted to Expertise France, for the provision of goods and services and the implementation of works. This support programme is a key component of the G5 Sahel strategy for the fight against terrorism and stabilisation of the subregion, which is essential for its economic and social development.
The G5 Sahel Joint Force gathers 5,000 men and is composed of 8 battalions spread across three zones (West, Centre and East), which correspond to 50-km strips on both sides of common borders.
The operations in each zone are conducted and planned by a zone command post (CP):
• The West-CP, temporarily located in Néma, is under construction in N’Bekeit Lahouach (Mauritania);
• The Centre-CP located in Niamey (Niger);
• The East-CP located in N’Djamena, which will be transferred to Wour (Chad).
The three zone CPs report to an inter-army theatre command post (IATCP), the headquarters, based in Bamako.
The Programme to Support the G5 Sahel Joint Force contributes to the fight against cross-border terrorism and the stabilisation of the subregion by taking action on three main components:
1) Protection and resilience: contribute to maintaining the operational potential of the Joint Force and optimise its resilience
• Contact intelligence: mini-drones
• Personal protection of fighters
• Fight against improvised explosive devices
• Support for the police component of the Joint Force
• Strengthening the protection for the areas controlled by the battalions
2) Strategic mobility: contribute to increasing the tactical and strategic mobility of the battalions
• Research and intervention manoeuvres: pick-up trucks, motorbikes, armoured vehicles
• Development of the intervention and research capacity of intelligence
• Strengthening of the maintenance capacity (recovery vehicles, off-road ambulances)
• Support for the facilities of the forces in operation
3) Command & Control: support for the Joint Force in the field of Command & Control to ensure its continuity and integrity
• Construction or rehabilitation of multinational command posts (CPs)
• Access to energy at the CPs
• Provision of vehicles for the CPs
• Information and communication systems
The programme is characterised by non-lethal support, in compliance with the eligibility rules of the African Peace Facility and support for the multinational command posts and battalions of the G5JF. It takes a holistic and integrated approach, which focuses on equipment maintenance and personnel training.
The Expertise France team, divided between Paris and the field, works with a reliable and swift mechanism, set up in collaboration with our partners, to provide the best possible response to the needs of the Joint Force. It is based on six stages:
1) Analysis of the needs, with the partners and in contact with the Force, in terms of equipment, services and works
2) Feasibility study and choice of appropriate solutions
3) Bid invitations for European and African companies
4) Establishing contracts and obtaining administrative authorisations
5) Implementation by the company selected and supervised by Expertise France
6) Closing
Throughout these activities, Expertise France ensures the inter-operability of the equipment and that it is maintained in operational conditions.
