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The sleepy Mauritanian village of Ouad Initi is about to get a facelift: a bigger school, a health center and more running water. All of this is part of the international community's sustained efforts to win hearts and minds and stop the spread of jihadism.
A lean and crumpled man dressed in a sky blue dress, the village chief, surrounded by several curious children, emerges to greet a group of visitors – European Union workers on reconnaissance mission.
Isolated villages such as Ouad Initi, near the border with Mali, have long been neglected by the authorities, making it an easier prey for jihadists and other armed groups that have proliferated in the Sahel region. Africa.
At present, they are at the heart of a campaign to gain grbadroots support in Mauritania, as authorities reinforce both security operations and infrastructure development to stem the spread of extremism.
"What builds confidence and prevents the recruitment of al-Qaeda, is the continuity of governance," said a senior Mauritanian official to AFP.
The European Union has planned a $ 14.7 million grant to boost Mauritania's development and security at the same time.
"This type of joint action between civilians and military is a breakthrough for the EU," said François-Xavier Pons, the project's project leader.
"We know very well that development makes progress on the security front, by encouraging citizens' loyalty to the state."
The vulnerability of remote villages is also a major concern for the five nations of the forming G5 Sahel anti-jihadist force, which includes Mauritania and four others along the southern Sahara bank: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
The five men, who are fighting the jihadists of Boko Haram and the Islamic State group, will request funding for 40 projects in border areas at a conference in Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, on December 6.
The villagers of Ouad Initi, where cows and camels graze in rudimentary houses dotting a rocky landscape, have already provided valuable information in the fight against extremism.
In 2010, they warned officials that suspected militants had crossed the region to Nema, capital of the south-eastern region.
This led the authorities to a plot to attack a barracks in Nema, which was to organize Wednesday celebrations for the Mauritanian National Day.
Infrastructure workers in the field believe that strengthening the agricultural economy is essential to prevent a rural exodus that would make this territory an easier target for jihadists.
"There is a clear link between the difficulties faced by agriculture and the development of illegal activities such as jihadism at the local level," said Abder Benderdouche, who works on agricultural projects.
Agriculture is the cornerstone of the regional economy, he said, and its encouragement would help strengthen the security of isolated areas.
"The Sahara and Sahel regions hold meat reserves in the region, which is worth its weight in gold," said Benderdouche.
Strongly affected by jihadist attacks and kidnappings in the 2000s, Mauritania has made significant efforts to improve security in recent years.
He sought to strengthen his army while strengthening his aid in remote areas where the state of the state had shook, especially on the border with Mali.
Last week, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said that efforts to engage the "lost youth" had stopped the "waves of Mauritanians" who left to join the jihadist groups.
The military Nomad (GN) military group, which includes camel return units, is an excellent example of a two-pronged approach combining security operations with infrastructure development.
The GN is gaining influence with the help of the EU, which is expected to buy an additional 250 camels.
"Where the state does not have infrastructure in isolated and isolated areas, we come to provide sanitation and education badistance," said the commander of the GN, Colonel Abderrahamane El Khalil.
"My men can help dig a well, but they are also there to collect information, thanks to their proximity to the people."
On a camel, members of the GN can travel up to 70 kilometers a day and travel villages for four weeks at a time.
Meanwhile, the construction of a G5 outpost 25 kilometers from the Malian border will also be accompanied by measures to stimulate the economy and gain the trust of residents.
In Nbeikit Lehouache, two hours from the road and the dirt road of Nema by the desert, the funds generated by the project will create a mobile hospital that will treat both the local population and G5 troops.
"Here, a paracetamol box is welcomed with joy.Imagine a hospital capable of performing operations," said Pons.
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