Security Sector Reform in the Sahel: Challenges and Choices

International workshop organized by the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with the support of Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The workshop is aimed at discussing the preliminary findings of the research project “Out of the security deadlock: challenges and choices in the Sahel”. The project focuses on the governance of security sector reform (SSR) in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and on its interlinkages with other regional security processes. The analysis of governance connected to SSR also includes its links with disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of violent extremists and militias, a pivotal issue in the region. The research places particular emphasis on the role of the European Union and of other international actors in the region such as the United States, Gulf Countries, and China. Furthermore, the research scrutinizes the impact and interaction with local actors in particular by the EU, such as diplomatic actions, development and peacebuilding projects, and security training and mentoring of local forces. Finally, the project also considers the connections between SSR and stabilisation, militarisation and the trend towards self-policing.

The workshop brought together government officials, policy-makers, and experts from Africa, Europe and the United States. It has also been as a platform to gather recommendations for the African, EU and US institutions in these fields.