This week at the G7 Germany as host nation invited Senegal, South Africa, Argentina, Indonesia and India to join the members. India as one of the largest economies and the most populated democracy has been several times before. The presence of two African nations shortly after Chancellor Scholz’s three nation African trip is more interesting.
The EU has been stung by the exit of France from Mali and the growing influence of Russia in the Safel, the long belt of land to the south of the Sahara from coast to coast. The EU wishes to buttress its influence in this region, offer military training and assistance against Islamic terrorism and help stabilise countries to cut the flows of migrants northwards. Spain is particularly keen to extend an African policy to NATO as well as the EU. Recent dangerous eruptions of groups of migrants through the high and tough fencing that separates Meililla from Morocco has worried them. More than 23 people died in one of the attempts to break into the Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa.
The EU is keen to establish military trainers and advisers in these states to help them with establishing and maintaining order. Chancellor Scholz was offering EU food as trade for Senegal at a time of disruption to |Ukraine grain supplies to the region. He went on to South Africa to develop the long standing relationship with Sasol to create low or no carbon fuel substitutes for petrol and diesel.
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