Pope Francis Engages President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali on Sahel Crisis

Last year, after Sunday's Angelus prayer at St. Peter's Square on March 24, Pope Francis called for prayers for the numerous victims of "brutal violence" in Mali and Nigeria, a day after at least 134 Fulani herders were attacked and killed by gunmen in central Mali. 

"May the Lord receive the victims, heal the injured, bring consolation to the families and convert cruel hearts," Pope Francis said referencing attacks in the West African country.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has since called upon stakeholders in the African Sahel region to go beyond military intervention and address the root causes of the region’s conflicts including “extreme poverty, high youth unemployment, and a lack of education.”

On January 13, leaders of France, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania met in France’s northwestern town of Pau to discuss military cooperation in the Sahel region. The six Presidents agreed to put their forces under a single entity dubbed “the Coalition for the Sahel.”

“Beyond a military intervention, we need to address the root causes of conflict such as extreme poverty, high youth unemployment, a lack of education – all of which have led to an erosion of a once strong social fabric,” CRS Director for West Africa, Jennifer Overton has said in a statement sent to ACI Africa January 16.

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In the meeting between Pope Francis and President Keita, reference was also made to various matters of regional and international interest, including growing food insecurity in the Sahel region, the phenomenon of migration, and peacekeeping in western Africa.

President Keita subsequently met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States within the Holy See's Secretariat of State.

Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.