Developmental assistance should be prioritized over military aid in the Sahel region of Africa

1. The Sahel needs Military Aid. 2. Military aid prevents terrorist attacks. 3. Military Aid helps keep people safe. My first point is that the Sahel region is not stable enough to not have military aid The links between jihadi extremists and transnational criminal groups has been a major concern of the U.S. and Western powers in general. There is evidence that much of the cocaine and other forms of narcotics making its way into Europe originates from Mexican and South American cartels and is funneled through groups in the Sahel. According to EEAS, An urgent and a more recent priority is to prevent AQIM attacks in the Sahel region and its potential to carry out attacks on EU territory, to reduce and contain drug and other criminal trafficking destined for Europe, to secure lawful trade and communication links (roads, pipelines) across the Sahel, North-South and East-West, and to protect existing economic interests and create the basis for trade and EU investment. Improving security and development in Sahel has an obvious and direct impact on protecting European citizens and interests and on the EU internal security situation. It is therefore important to ensure and strengthen coherence and complementarity between internal and external aspects of EU security. The need for an a strong criminal justice system in the area is a major concern of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. According to, UNODC 2013: Representatives from Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco and Niger met last week in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to agree on areas of cooperation for the next four and a half years to address the interconnected problems of drug trafficking, organized crime and terrorism that have plagued the region for the last decade. During a two-day long discussion, delegates agreed on a number of measures as part of a UNODC response strategy for the Sahel. Speaking at the meeting in Ouagadougou Dr. J"rome Bougouma, Minister for Territorial Administration and Security in Burkina Faso, welcomed the support given to the "UNODC Contribution to the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel" as a crucial step in kick starting the implementation of technical cooperation efforts in the region. "Terrorism, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crime are the main reasons why the crisis that started two years ago in the Sahel has deteriorated further and caused the citizens of the region to live in insecurity and even be displaced", Dr. Bougouma said. My second point is that Military Aid prevents terrorist attacks. According to the NATO Review (Jan 25th), A concerted response by an international actor like NATO, possessing the diplomatic weight of 28 countries and the expertise of a Special Representative, could avert further violence and bloodshed. Coming from The United States Department of Defense, The Defense Department continues to work with nations in North Africa to promote security and increase stability in the region still feeling the effects of the Arab Spring, Amanda J. Dory, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs. And Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco are confronting instability and the U.S. military is working to build or strengthen their police and military forces, Dory told the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Near eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs. Finally, According to the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies, there have been less terrorist attacks since we put our forces in the Sahel. So this just puts it that military aid is in place and is effective. This is a job worth bringing the NATO into this using military aid. My third point, is that helps keep people safe. For the average african what is more important: Building an economy and government, or protecting their own safety, and that of their families? While yes, an economy and government is necessary for long-term peace, african individuals are more in need of aid when it comes to the immediate, blatant threat to themselves, that needs to be solved as quick as possible. Also, we can"t have development assistance with terrorists in that area without any protection. So we need to have military aid prioritized over development assistance in the Sahel region of Africa. According to AllAfrica, our ally France is sending more troops to the Sahel region. The UN Chief States that northern Mali, a region seized by radical Islamists in 2012 before they were driven out by French-led forces. that the United Nations forces in Democratic Republic of Congo have launched unmanned aircraft to monitor the volatile border with Rwanda and Uganda, the first time UN peacekeepers have deployed surveillance drones. Also, German forces are assisting the Mali Army. With all of our efforts, we"ve had success. Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said the rebels are in the custody of the Ugandan army in the Central African Republic (CAR) where they defected from the LRA. Uganda has 2,500 soldiers supported by some "few" troops from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as part of an effort to end the LRA rebellion, according to Ankunda. Military Aid Works, And we need to continue it.