(ANSA) – BAMAKO, 12 AGO – Italy’s ambassador to Mali, Stefano A. Dejak, assured the Italian contribution to the Humanitarian Forum, held in Bamako last August 7-9. The Forum was organized in Bamako by the three member states of the Confederation of Sahel States (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) to more closely coordinate their actions aimed at making humanitarian interventions funded by international partners more effective in the wake of the security crisis caused mainly by jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Daesh.
Ministerial delegations from Chad, Mauritania, and Togo also contributed to the summit. Italy was one of seven international partners that contributed to the success of the forum, along with the European Union (ECHO), Canada, Germany, Britain, Spain, and Switzerland.
For more than a decade, the central Sahel has suffered from security threats from jihadist groups recorded in the past two years by the “Global Terrorism Index” as the world’s most serious terrorist threats. About three million people in the region have been forced to seek refuge from such threats, with a significant growth in assistance needs. Meanwhile, the United Nations Humanitarian Assistance Fund for this humanitarian crisis appears to be funded at only 14 percent of what is required.
Ambassador Dejak took the opportunity to emphasize the need to strengthen European action in the Sahel through a constructive and pragmatic approach that proves to be functional in countering terrorism and trafficking, including human trafficking, for concerted management-along with other European donors-in strategic areas for the benefit of the most vulnerable segments of the population.
With 264 million euros in ongoing projects in the five Sahelian countries, Italy,” the ambassador said, “intends to work to make interventions more efficient, simplifying procedures and adapting them better to local contexts, in order to continue to be a reliable humanitarian donor, guided by humanitarian principles, in the closest coordination in particular with its partners in the European Union.
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Last modified: August 13, 2025