Washington — The United States remains committed to supporting West Africa's troubled Sahel region as it faces political turmoil, rising extremism and a severe food crisis affecting an estimated 18 million people, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged September 26.
The secretary spoke about U.S. and international efforts to support the region during the U.N. Secretary-General Meeting on the Sahel held on the margins of the 67th annual U.N. General Assembly in New York.
"The United States has already provided more than $378 million to meet the escalating humanitarian needs in the Sahel, and we call on all parties to ensure unhindered access so that emergency aid meets those who need it most," Clinton said. "We encourage fellow donors to increase their pledges and follow through quickly and fully."
Calling the humanitarian needs across the region "urgent and growing," Clinton said the Sahel is suffering due to ongoing chaos and violence in Mali that threatens to undermine the stability of the entire region.
She said the country faces "incredible danger posed by violent extremists imposing their brutal ideology, committing human rights abuses, destroying irreplaceable cultural heritage." But terrorists are not the only threat facing Mali, as drug traffickers and arms smugglers take advantage of the country's porous borders to extend their reach throughout the region and beyond.
"This is not only a humanitarian crisis; it is a powder keg that the international community cannot afford to ignore," Clinton said.
The United States supports the appointment of a senior U.N. envoy empowered to lead a comprehensive international effort on Mali and the creation of a diplomatic core group, the secretary said. She said such an effort must include coordinating the delivery of emergency aid, helping to address longstanding political grievances and preparing for credible elections.
"In the end, only a democratically elected government will have the legitimacy to achieve a negotiated political settlement in northern Mali, end the rebellion and restore the rule of law," Clinton said. "So it is imperative that the interim government meet the April deadline for holding elections that are fair, transparent and free of influence."
The secretary said the situation in Mali is worsened by the rise in violent extremism across the region.
"This is a threat to the entire region and to the world and, most particularly, to the people in the region themselves who deserve better," she said. "They deserve better from their leaders and they deserve better from the international community."
Clinton said the United States is stepping up its counterterrorism efforts across the region by working to close safe havens, cut off finances, counter violent ideology and combat the recruiting efforts of extremist groups.
Ultimately, she said, strengthening democratic institutions is at the heart of the U.S. counterterrorism strategy.
"It is democracies that offer their citizens constructive outlets for political grievances, create opportunities for upward mobility and prosperity, and are clear alternatives to violent extremism," she said. "Their success offers a powerful rejection of the extremist ideology of hate and violence."
Clinton said efforts to meet the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel, return stability to Mali and combat violent extremism across the region should be a shared responsibility. She called on her fellow leaders at the United Nations to join in supporting the region through accelerated common action.
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