[A]ll the states of the region will benefit from considerable capacity building, both in areas of core government activity, including the provision of security and development cooperation. [T]he EU therefore has an important role to play both in encouraging economic development for the people of the Sahel and helping them achieve a more secure environment in which it can take place, and in which the interests of EU citizens are also protected.
https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/docs/africa/docs/sahel_strategy_en.pdf