C 465/142
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
6.12.2022
Thursday 5 May 2022
AG. whereas the EU and its common security and defence policy missions have been subject to disinformation campaigns and urgently need to be given the means for effective strategic communication; whereas disinformation has gone as far as falsely accusing the French military of mass murder in the Gossi area of Mali, although evidence shows that Malians and foreigners suspected of belonging to the Wagner Group are responsible for a gruesomely concocted and misleading fabrication;
AH. whereas as a result of the multiple obstructions by the Malian transitional authorities, international actors have concluded that the conditions to continue their military engagement in Mali are no longer met;
AI. whereas at the request of their African partners, European and international actors have agreed to continue their joint action against terrorism in the Sahel region, including in Niger and in the Gulf of Guinea, and have begun political and military consultations with them with the aim of setting out the terms for this shared action by June 2022;
AJ. whereas the situation in the Sahel is closely interlinked with the situation in the Gulf of Guinea; whereas piracy remains a security threat in the Gulf of Guinea; whereas the Council has extended the implementation of the Coordinated Maritime Presence in the Gulf of Guinea by two years;
1.
Strongly condemns the violence and loss of life in West Africa and the Sahelian region, including abuses committed in the context of military operations, and expresses concern over the increased instability in the Sahel, which undermines the security and stability of the countries concerned and which has profound regional and international consequences; expresses its solidarity with and condolences to the families of all victims of terrorist attacks throughout the region; reiterates its strong support for the people of West and Sahelian Africa and their aspirations for peace, human rights, security, stability, economic development and social and democratic progress; pays tribute to the numerous efforts by local and international actors aimed at fostering peace and progress throughout the region; recognises that the security situation in the Sahel continues to be an enormous challenge and that many civilians are suffering from a lack of security and have become the victims of terrorist attacks;
2.
Stresses that a comprehensive response to the challenges West Africa and the Sahel are facing requires coordination between security, climate, development and trade policies;
3.
Expresses deep concern about the state of democracy in the Sahel region and the recent coups d’état in the region; calls on all coup leaders to set clear limits on the duration of political transition periods, to ensure a quick return to the constitutional order, the rule of law and civilian governments and to facilitate the organisation of transparent and inclusive elections;
4.
Strongly reiterates its position that any long-term security and political cooperation with EU actors will require realistic timetables for a return to democracy, including clear and measurable milestones; recalls that in the absence of such realistic timetables, any future cooperation with EU actors will be called into question;
5.
Notes that coups undermine efforts to strengthen the rule of law and assert the democratic legitimacy of government actions; recalls that genuine democratic transition and reform must be civilian-led and allow for the full and active involvement of civil society organisations, women, young people and opposition parties; urges the authorities in West and Sahelian Africa to respect and protect media freedom and the freedom of assembly, association and expression;
6.
Underlines that genuine national dialogues, involving all sectors of civil society, are needed throughout the region in order to outline a clear future vision for democracy, including concrete objectives jointly agreed and shared by the various non-military and non-state actors; calls on the international community to help facilitate such a dialogue by offering to play a mediating role;
7.
Underlines that unity is the best way to tackle the numerous challenges the region is faced with; therefore supports the actions announced by the AU and the actions taken by ECOWAS in defence of democracy and the rule of law;