Belgium is seeking to preserve its diplomatic engagement with the Sahel despite a sharp deterioration in relations between several countries in the region and Europe.
Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot is due to travel to the Sahel in the coming days, in a move Brussels says reflects its determination not to disengage from a strategically important region despite mounting political and security challenges.
The Sahel, a vast belt stretching across Africa and including countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali, has undergone profound upheaval in recent years. Military coups in Burkina Faso, Niger and other states have transformed political alliances, while relations with European governments have become increasingly strained.
For Belgium, however, the worsening political climate is a reason for greater diplomatic engagement rather than withdrawal.
"The Sahel is not becoming less strategic because it has become more difficult for us," Prévot said ahead of his trip. He stressed that the close links between Europe and the region meant that developments in one part of the world could have consequences for the other.
"Neither the Sahel nor Europe are islands," he said, pointing to generations of economic, social and human connections between the two regions.
Belgium's continued diplomatic presence is particularly notable as several European governments have scaled back their engagement. Only four European countries, including Belgium, currently maintain diplomatic representation in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.
According to Belgium's Foreign Affairs Ministry, no foreign minister from an EU member state has undertaken a multi-country mission to the Sahel since 2022, underlining the extent to which high-level European engagement with the region has diminished.
Prévot's approach is expected to focus on maintaining direct communication while acknowledging the profound differences that now exist between European governments and several Sahelian authorities.
"Differences of opinion exist, and we must not deny them," he said. At the same time, he argued that dialogue remained possible provided it was based on respect, transparency and a willingness to address disagreements openly.
Security and political relations are not the only priorities for the Belgian minister. His visit will also focus on contacts with local communities and, in particular, younger generations, who make up a significant share of the region's population.
"We must listen to the people who live there and to those who will shape its future," Prévot said, arguing that young people should play a central role in Europe's relationship with the Sahel rather than being treated simply as a subject of political speeches.
Belgium's position reflects a broader debate within Europe over how to maintain influence in the Sahel after years of military interventions, counter-terrorism cooperation and development programmes have been complicated by coups and growing anti-European sentiment.
The region remains strategically significant because of its security challenges, migration pressures, economic potential and links to wider instability across West and North Africa. The weakening of European diplomatic ties has also created space for other international actors to expand their influence.
Against that backdrop, Brussels appears determined to keep channels of communication open. Rather than assuming that political disagreements make cooperation impossible, Belgium is betting that sustained diplomacy can preserve relationships and create opportunities for future engagement.
Prévot's visit is therefore intended not only as a diplomatic mission but also as a signal that Belgium does not intend to abandon the Sahel at a time when relations between Europe and parts of the region are at one of their most difficult points in decades. Photo by NOAA, US Gov, Unidentified, Wikimedia commons.