The meeting was held on November 5, 2020 in a hybrid live/online format. The KAIPTC in Accra, Casa África in Las Palmas and Casa Árabe in Madrid hosted the panelists and experts from neighboring areas. They all connected live online. The three round tables were posted in real time on Casa África’s YouTube channel, with versions in Spanish (interpreted), English and French. The original language version is on Facebook and Twitter.

Security challenges in West Africa are increasingly diverse and troubling. Violent extremism is spreading southward across the region, as criminal networks extend the scope and nature of their activities. Some West African countries like Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo, which have so far been unaffected by the activities of violent extremist groups, have become the targets of attacks by Ansaroul Islam, the Macina Liberation Front and a coalition of criminal organizations known as the Al Qaeda-affiliated Islam and Muslim Support Group (JNIM).
 
The threat of violent extremism extends beyond the West African sub-region to the Sahel, East Africa, North Africa and Europe. Extremist networks are transnational in scope, largely due to their outreach and propaganda efforts. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is one of the most dangerous in the world, and within the framework of the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) Spain has deployed hundreds of military personnel to support the training of Malian security forces, including tools to combat human trafficking, drug smuggling and violence against women, focusing on the desert region, a traditional stronghold of Islamic terrorist groups.
 
To talk about all of this, on Thursday, November 5, Casa África is organizing an online seminar that aims to encourage and strengthen sharing among Spanish and West African researchers and experts who specialize in these issues and, at the same time, to shed light on Spain’s important contribution to peace and security in West Africa. This event is the result of the cooperation between the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), based in Accra, Ghana; Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and Casa África. The seminar has been subsidized by the Spanish Ministry of Defense, through the General Secretariat of Defense Policy. It will be held at three different venues, which will host speakers and experts in the region who specialize in different subjects. They will communicate with each other online from Accra, Madrid (Casa Árabe’s headquarters) and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Casa África’s headquarters). The event will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the Canary Islands and Ghana and 9:00 a.m. in Madrid and will be held live through Casa África’s YouTube channel. You can watch the event live on the Casa’s social media channels.
 
It will be officially opened by Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya; Major-General Francis Ofori, Commander of the KAIPTC, and José Segura Clavell,  the Director-General of Casa África. It has been organized into three themed round tables in which authorities such as the State Secretary of Foreign Affairs and for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, will participate; the Ambassador on Special Mission for the Sahel, Julio Herráiz; the Ambassador on Special Mission for the Africa Plan, Alberto Virella; the Ambassador of Senegal in Spain, Mariame Sy; the Ambassador of Spain in Ghana, Alicia Rico, and the Director of Cooperation with Africa and Asia of the AECID, Cristina Díaz. Also present will be researchers such as Sampson Kwarkye (Institute for Security Studies-ISS, Dakar), Lydia Amdezrator (KAIPTC), José Luengo Cabrera (International Organization for Migration), Beatriz Mesa (International University of Rabat), Joane Osei-Tutu (KAIPTC) and Ousseynou Gueye (Timbuktu Institute). The guests also include organizations such as ECOWAS, represented by Colonel Abdourahmane Dieng, or the G-5 Sahel, represented by Aminata Ndiaye, along with heads of the Spanish Armed Forces involved in operations in the Sahel, including Generals García Vaquero and Espinosa. The conference will be attended by a group of experts from Casa Árabe and Casa África, who will take part in the debate by contributing their knowledge and points of view on security, political instability and gender issues.
 
The program includes a first table that revolves around the possibility that West Africa could become a new focal point of instability in the continent, with violence overflowing from Mali to other bordering countries. The talks will be based on the fact that the military situation in the Sahel has deteriorated significantly over the past two years.  In 2019, the number of security incidents in the region tripled, especially in Burkina Faso and Niger, and the death toll continues to rise. The recent coup d’état in Mali adds a new factor of uncertainty to the region’s security dynamics. Those attending, considering the situation in the Sahel, will debate over the impact of violent extremism in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and on the coastal states of West Africa, and to discuss the risks if the activities of these groups spread to countries like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo.

The radicalization in West Africa is encouraged by different factors: poverty and social exclusion; use of the Internet and social media for recruitment purposes, and the lack of a State presence across widespread territories. The conflict between farmers and shepherds and, more specifically, the radicalization of some elements of the Fulani/Peul ethnic groups are additional sources of concern. This second panel will ask whether anything can be done to prevent Jihadism from invading brotherhoods and traditional Islam in West Africa, given that the region is fertile ground for recruitment and spreading the Jihadist narrative. Questions will also be asked about the specifics to be taken into account in order to prevent radicalization and social conflict.

Last of all, the third panel was created to mark the twentieth anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325: two decades ago, the international community came together to recognize women as key agents for progress in peace and security. In wake of this resolution and in line with Agenda 2030 and the AU Agenda of 2063, a range of initiatives has emerged which advocate for the inclusion of women in all decision-making processes in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. West Africa has not been immune to this phenomenon. Women in Sierra Leone and Liberia have been pioneers in the field, as efforts to include the gender perspective have been extensive in the countries of the region. However, in a context of expanding violence in the Sahel, patterns from the past are being repeated and women are once again being seen as victims of the conflict and removed from decision-making processes. This issue is gaining further relevance in the AU “Year for Silencing Weapons.”  The panel will reflect on how women can become agents of prevention and catalysts for peace in West Africa.

This activity was awarded a grant from the General Secretariat of Defense Policy of Spain’s Ministry of Defense.

Event schedule