Widening security ties in the Sahel and North Africa

Examining the shifting political and security linkages across the Sahel and North Africa

Guests

Andrew Lebovich, Visiting Fellow, ECFR

Tarek Megerisi, Policy Fellow, ECFR

Chaired by

Chloe Teevan, Programme Coordinator, ECFR

As the UK and other European states look to address challenges emanating from the southern Mediterranean, the need to better respond to the interlinkages between the Sahel and North Africa is becoming increasingly apparent. Militant groups and human trafficking between the Sahel and Libya have already come into focus, but the June border protection agreement between Libya, Niger, Chad and Mali, and the ongoing involvement of Algeria in the Malian theatre highlight a broader dynamic of widening security ties.

To mark the the launch of a forthcoming paper, Halting ambition: EU migration and security policy in the Sahel, by ECFR’s senior Sahel expert, Andrew Lebovich, this event will explore the shifting political and security linkages across the Sahel and North Africa and means of strengthening a more integrated European response that accounts for the development and governance needs of border communities. Joined by Tarek Megerisi, ECFR’s Libya expert, the discussion will focus on better understanding the security ties between these two regions, what they mean for Europeans interests and how the UK and other European states can better advance related stabilisation goals.

Andrew Lebovich (@tweetsintheME) is a Visiting Fellow for ECFR’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. Andrew is based in New York where he studies North Africa and the Sahel as a Doctoral candidate at Columbia University. He previously worked for the Open Society Initiative in West Africa (OSIWA) as a Sahel Advisor.

Tarek Megerisi (@Tmegerisi) is a Policy Fellow for ECFR's Middle East and North Africa Programme. He specialises in Libyan politics, governance and development, and started his career in Tripoli, Libya with the Sadeq Institute and various INGOs providing diverse research and democratisation assistance to Libya’s post-revolutionary authorities between 2012-2014.

Chloe Teevan (@ChloeTvan) is Programme Coordinator for ECFR's Middle East and North Africa Programme. Her role focuses on the strategic planning and development of the programme’s North Africa work.