The EU policy towards the fragile states of the Sahel was either a failure or mixed success because of different reasons. This article concentrates on the shortcomings of EU’s engagement in the Sahel, and offers some ideas for a more successful EU-backed state building and crisis management in the Sahel. The article argues in particular that without a more significant financial contribution – including to back EU military missions –, and a real comprehensive approach, the EU cannot contribute decisively to state building processes in the Sahel.

This Policy Brief was written in the framework of the EuroMeSCo Working Package “Sahel and Security in the Mediterranean”, led by Dr Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, Resident Scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.