Urgent: Mali Attacks Spark Sahel Crisis Alarm
STATEMENT BY THE EUROPEAN LEFT
The European Left strongly condemns the armed attacks carried out in recent days in Mali by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, in alliance with the Azawad Liberation Front. These coordinated offensives against several Malian cities constitute a new escalation of terrorist violence targeting civilian populations and state institutions.
The European Left expresses its deep solidarity with the Malian people, who have been severely affected by these repeated attacks. It extends its thoughts to the victims, their families, and all communities living under insecurity and daily fear. In the face of this tragedy, the dignity and resilience of the Malian people command respect.
These events are not isolated. They are part of a broader dynamic of destabilization across the Sahel and West Africa. Recent attempts to disrupt strategic supplies, particularly hydrocarbons, along with the spread of attacks in several countries in the region, point to an arc of instability threatening regional balances in a lasting way.
The European Left recalls that this situation is also the result of a recent history marked by serious international responsibilities. The chaos that followed the NATO intervention in Libya in 2011 contributed to the circulation of weapons and the fragmentation of security across the Sahel-Saharan region. This sequence continues to produce destabilizing effects today.
More broadly, the strategies pursued in recent years by several European states, often centered on military responses, have failed to provide a lasting solution to the crisis. By neglecting the political, social, and economic dimensions of the conflicts, they have left intact the root causes on which armed groups thrive.
In this context, the European Left calls for strengthened cooperation among West African countries, whether members of ECOWAS or the Alliance of Sahel States, in full respect of their sovereignty. The fight against jihadist organizations cannot be purely security-based. It must be part of a comprehensive approach that includes social justice, economic development, institutional consolidation, and a determined fight against illicit economies.
The European Left calls on the European Union and its Member States to break with militarized and interventionist approaches that have proven ineffective. It urges them to unequivocally support the sovereignty of African states, to prioritize civilian cooperation, and to tackle the transnational networks that fuel trafficking. It also calls for a profound rethinking of relations between Europe and Africa on fair, solidaristic, and mutually beneficial foundations.
Peace in the Sahel can only be built on the basis of peoples’ sovereignty, regional cooperation, and a transformation of international relations. The European Left reaffirms its commitment to stand alongside the peoples of the Sahel in the pursuit of a just, lasting peace grounded in dignity.
