GCERF and G5 Sahel Commit to Curbing Violent Extremism in Liptako-Gourma Region Nouakchott, Mauritania, 25 February, 2021 - The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) and the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) signed an agreement today to refocus global attention on the threat of violent extremism in the region. The signing in Nouakchott today was a commitment to bolster local efforts seeking to interrupt the cycle of violence in the Central Sahel states of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, starting with the Liptako-Gourma region. GCERF, the global fund for preventing violent extremism, already funds grassroots organisations working to curb radicalisation in Mali. The Secretary General of the G5 Sahel, S.E.M Maman Sidikou, said the partnership exemplifies “the determination of the G5 Sahel to partner with organisations that are both willing and able to help resolve the security crisis in the region. The situation in the Sahel is a matter of international stability and security. It is a pressing problem that has ramifications beyond the immediate region”. Conflicts in the Lake Chad Basin and the Liptako-Gourma region have created fertile environments for violent extremism and serious organised crime in an already fragile region. The Executive Director of GCERF, Dr Khalid Koser, said “the time was right to direct global resources to communities on the frontline of preventing violent extremism in the Sahel”. “GCERF’s work in Mali has shown that for a modest sum, communities can seize control of the agenda and guide the international response. It is the community leaders, activists and small NGOs – those who have the established trust of their communities - that can really steer people onto a positive path, and away from participating in acts of terrorism,” Dr Koser said. The signed memorandum of understanding commits both parties to work together in the fields of justice, human rights and good governance with the overall ambition of preventing violent extremism in the region. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in French. To request a copy in full, find details for the relevant media contacts below. About GCERF GCERF is the global fund for preventing violent extremism. GCERF finances locally-led efforts to curb radicalisation to violent extremism in Albania, Bangladesh, Kenya, Kosovo, Mali, Nigeria, the Philippines, Somalia and Tunisia. GCERF has reached more than 1.9 million beneficiaries and is set to expand operations in 2021 to Niger, North Macedonia and Sri Lanka. Media Contact Yuko Narushima, Communications Specialist, Geneva +41 79 570 4056 or [email protected] About the G5 Sahel The Group of Five for the Sahel was founded in 2014 as a regional, intergovernmental organisation. It provides an institutional framework to promote development and security within its five member countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Media Contact Abdoul Salam Diagana, Chargé Communication, G5 Sahel, Nouakchott +222 46 48 10 54, or [email protected] .