The Netherlands is set to invest 1.5 million euros to make it more difficult for people smugglers to operate in the Sahel region. Those were the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders on Wednesday, following talks with Angel Losada Fernandez, the new EU Special Representative for the Sahel region.
‘The situation in the Sahel region is turbulent and unstable. As a result, the region is rife with smugglers and extremist movements. The international community needs to invest in the area in order to put an end to this,’ remarked Mr Koenders, who also called on other countries to do more in the Sahel region.
Combats organised crime
The Dutch contribution comprises support for the UN programme that combats organised crime in the Sahel region, which ought to reduce the opportunities for human smugglers. In addition, together with the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark, investments are being made in improving security in the border area between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. By supporting collaboration between the security services and locals across the national borders, the borders should become less porous.
The funds are on top of the 3 million euros which the Netherlands previously set aside for the Sahel region at the large migration summit in Valletta and the Dutch contribution to water, food security and entrepreneurship programmes in the region. The previous contribution will mainly be used to combat the root causes of migration and radicalisation.
Opportunities for young people
The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, also spoke to Mr Losada on Wednesday. According to her, it is essential for young people in the Sahel region to have more opportunities. ‘In the Sahel region over forty million young people are at risk of ending up in a hopeless situation due to a lack of education, jobs and prospects for the future. By investing in young people, they will have a brighter future and we will reduce the chances of them falling victim to smugglers or extremists,’ said Ms Ploumen.
According to the ministers, attention is needed for the Sahel region in order to improve the situation on Europe’s borders. Mr Koenders and Ms Ploumen are concerned that the distressing number of refugees will only continue to rise if the situation in the Sahel region does not improve. ‘If we don’t tackle these problems, the influx of migrants could increase quite dramatically in two to three years,’ remarked Mr Koenders.
The road to Europe that travels through the Sahel region – Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso – is currently one of the deadliest and most dangerous smuggling routes in the world. Approximately 120,000 African young people now travel through Niger to Libya and Europe each year.
