    [House Hearing, 116 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                      THE U.S. POLICY IN THE SAHEL REGION

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                     SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH,
                            GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND
                          INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

                                     OF THE

                          COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                         ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                               November 14, 2019

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 116-78

                                   __________

            Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

    [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http://docs.house.gov,
                           or http://www.govinfo.gov

                                     __________

                        U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
    38-457 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2022

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

                       ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York, Chairman

    BRAD SHERMAN, California             MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Ranking
    GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York               Member
    ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey		     CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey
    GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia         STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
    THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida	     JOE WILSON, South Carolina
    KAREN BASS, California		     SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania
    WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts	     TED S. YOHO, Florida
    DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island	     ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois
    AMI BERA, California		     LEE ZELDIN, New York
    JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas		     JIM SENSENBRENNER, Wisconsin
    DINA TITUS, Nevada		     ANN WAGNER, Missouri
    ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York          BRIAN MAST, Florida
    TED LIEU, California		     FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
    SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania	     BRIAN FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
    DEAN PHILLPS, Minnesota	             JOHN CURTIS, Utah
    ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota		     KEN BUCK, Colorado
    COLIN ALLRED, Texas		     RON WRIGHT, Texas
    ANDY LEVIN, Michigan		     GUY RESCHENTHALER, Pennsylvania
    ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, Virginia	     TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee
    CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania       GREG PENCE, Indiana
    TOM MALINOWSKI, New Jersey	     STEVE WATKINS, Kansas
    DAVID TRONE, Maryland		     MIKE GUEST, Mississippi
    JIM COSTA, California
    JUAN VARGAS, California
    VICENTE GONZALEZ, Texas

                        Jason Steinbaum, Staff Director
                   Brandon Shields, Republican Staff Director

                                     ------

        Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and
                          International Organizations

                         KAREN BASS, California, Chair

    SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania             CHRISTOPHER SMITH, New Jersey,
    DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota                 Ranking Member
    ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota                JIM SENSENBRENNER, Wisconsin
    CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania       RON WRIGHT, Texas
                                         TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

                        CONFLICT ARMAMENT RESEARCH GROUP

    Report submitted for the record from the Conflict Armament
      Research Group entitled Investigating Cross-Border Weapons
      Transfers......................................................     4

                                   WITNESSES

    Baird, Whitney, Deputy Assistant Secretary for West Africa and
      Security Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, United States
      Department of State............................................    57
    Anderson, Cheryl, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for
      Africa, United States Agency for International Development.....    63

                                    APPENDIX

    Hearing Notice...................................................    85
    Hearing Minutes..................................................    86
    Hearing Attendance...............................................    87

                      THE U.S. POLICY IN THE SAHEL REGION

                          Thursday, November 14, 2019

                              House of Representatives,
                 Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health,
                 Global Human Rights, and International
                                         Organizations,
                          Committee on Foreign Affairs,
                                                         Washington, DC

        The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2 p.m., in
    room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Karen Bass
    [chairwoman of the subcommittee] presiding.
        Ms. Bass. This hearing for the Subcommittee on Africa will
    come to order.
        I would note that a quorum is not present, but I am sure it
    will be soon.
        The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on U.S.
    policy in the Sahel region. This afternoon we are here to
    discuss the fragile state of the Sahel and the short-and long-
    term options for peace and stability in the region.
        Without objection, all members have 5 days to submit
    statements, questions, and other materials for the record,
    subject to the length limitation in the rules.
        I would like to thank our witnesses for coming today to
    speak with us about the U.S. policy in the Sahel region. I
    recognize myself for the purpose of making an opening
    statement.
        I have been concerned about the Sahel region for some time,
    mostly because of the ongoing and increasing violence and what
    I previously thought was an expanding U.S. military presence in
    the region. What I am most concerned about was making sure that
    we were balancing diplomacy and development with the U.S.
    defense engagement.
        Over the past decade, many countries in the Sahel region
    have experienced unanticipated political transitions caused by
    local dissatisfaction with political elites in worsening
    governing conditions. AQIM and Boko Haram have since
    capitalized on the region's political instability and
    reportedly merged with locally based and rural extremist groups
    in Mali and Burkina Faso.
        The expanding network of transnational terror groups has
    led to a proliferation of violent incidents between 2016 and
    2018. Within the region, Mali and Burkina Faso appear to be the
    epicenters of conflict. After a military coup in 2012, and a
    popular uprising in 2014, both countries are grappling with
    Islamic insurgencies that threaten State and regional security.
    Some may think the Sahel may not have direct implications for
    U.S. national security because most of the armed groups in the
    region often target locally or regionally.
        I also want to acknowledge the four brave soldiers who were
    ambushed and killed in an advise-and-assist mission in Tongo
    Tongo in western Niger on October 4, 2017. Violent extremism in
    the region is escalating at a disturbing rate, but the majority
    of the actors do not seem to be ideologically motivated, and we
    would certainly like to hear your opinions about that.
        They seem to be drawn in because of governance challenges,
    including political exclusion or abuse by State actors,
    widespread poverty, marginalization along ethnic or regional
    lines, and tensions between farmer and herder communities over
    land or water.
        I raise this because we know that defense and security
    assistance cannot address the issues emerging out of the Sahel.
    We have to focus on the root causes, and we know that
    development is one of the areas that need to be addressed. But
    with that said, the increased attacks are real. So several
    weeks back, I led a codel focused on U.S. military engagement
    across Africa, and we traveled to parts of the Sahel to gain a
    better understanding of our military assistance in the region.
        I spoke with many heads of State, foreign ministers, our
    own Ambassadors, and military personnel, and security was never
    far from their minds. U.S. personnel and locally employed staff
    in the region are operating under very difficult circumstances,
    but I was always impressed by their hard work and their
    dedication for their jobs.
        I look forward to hearing from the witnesses about the
    safety and security of U.S. Government personnel in the region,
    and members of the codel also heard that there are in some
    countries numerous positions that are unfilled within the
    embassies, and so leaving them short-staffed and them feeling
    like they really were not able to address the conditions that
    they confronted, the reasons why they were there, and would
    love to hear your thoughts on that as well.
        So I believe in order to combat the spread of terrorism in
    the region, the international community should support the
    efforts of the G5 Sahel force, which consists of troops from
    Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger by helping to
    train soldiers and assisting in funding operations, so that the
    troops are coming from those countries as opposed to outside.
        I also believe that the long-term solution is to develop
    the infrastructure, including access to water,
    telecommunication, energy, and roads. This will help
    socioeconomic development and reveal tangible results of a
    healthier, more educated, food secure, and safer society.
        Members of Congress on both sides want to see extreme
    violence in the Sahel decrease, and we are here to listen and
    to see how you might provide us insights and recommendations as
    to how we move forward.
        I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Smith.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. And I want to
    thank you, Chairwoman Bass, for convening this extremely
    important hearing this afternoon. We, as a subcommittee, last
    focused on the Sahel as a region in May 2013, though we have
    addressed fragility in specific States and discrete issues such
    as food insecurity in the region.
        Many of the same threats we dealt with at that time, such
    as Islamic insurgencies, have grown even greater, so today's
    hearing is especially timely. Our policy interest in the Sahel
    encompass counterterrorism concerns as well as humanitarian
    ones, and it is impossible to address one without addressing
    the other. Without security, you will see a continuing amount,
    large amounts of human suffering. And without addressing
    security, we have got to be sure that it is secure and the
    humanitarian work can be done.
        The reasons for instability in the region are multiple,
    from failures of governance to Islamic radicalization, from
    environmental degradation to ethnic conflict, nor can we
    minimize the consequences of our disastrous intervention in
    Libya in 2011, which, among other things, led to the influx of
    arms into the region from the arsenal of former Libyan
    strongman Colonel Gaddafi following his overthrow and the chaos
    that ensued.
        There is a very comprehensive report, Madam Chair, from the
    Conflict Armament Research Group entitled Investigating Cross-
    Border Weapons Transfers in the Sahel from November 2016, and I
    would ask if it could be made a part of the record.
        Ms. Bass. Without objection.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Mr. Smith. I appreciate that. This report details how ``The
    demise of the Gaddafi regime in mid-2011 following the
    emergence of armed opposition in a NATO-led multinational
    intervention released large parts of the national stockpile
    from government control.''
        The report goes on to state how ``The proliferation of
    weapons from Gaddafi era stockpiles fueled the 2012 Tuareg and
    Islamic insurgencies in Mali and has allowed armed actors
    operating throughout the Sahel region, including in Chad and
    Niger, and possibly in the Central African Republic and Cote
    d'Ivoire, to acquire weapons including small arms and man-
    portable air defense systems, or MANPADS.''
        The report also notes how large numbers of Tuareg fighters
    who have been recruited into Gaddafi's Islamic Legion, the Mag
    Oer Brigade, and other parts of the Libyan army, left for Mali
    and Niger in 2011, and that is just the portion of the report
    dealing with the Sahel.
        A tremendous amount of arms also found their way into Syria
    and into the hands of ISIS fighters, who carved out their
    channel house caliphate around Raqqa. The collapse of Libya
    into civil war also fractured its oil-based economy, which in
    turn led to a drying-up of economic opportunity for young men
    from the nations--and women--of the Sahel.
        Thus, we think we need to confront the fact that while many
    of the problems in the region are endemic, our policy failures
    and misbegotten adventurism in 2011 helped fuel the crisis
    which you must address today. A regional multi-disciplinary
    approach to this crisis is necessary. Of course, there is a
    military aspect to our engagement in the region.
        The deaths, as you pointed out, Madam Chair, of the four
    American soldiers in 2017 near the village of Tongo Tongo at
    the hands of a group which has declared an affiliation with the
    Islamic State and the Islamic State of Greater Sahara
    underscores the sacrifices that are being made to counter
    terrorism.
        I understand that efforts were made to get Defense
    Department participation in today's hearing, but they asserted
    jurisdictional issues, and that prevented it. Thus, I look
    forward to the State Department briefing us on our
    counterterrorism efforts, in addition to overall efforts of
    bringing stability to the region, so I do look forward to their
    expert witness. And I yield back.
        Ms. Bass. Thank you, Mr. Smith.
        I would now like to introduce our witnesses. Whitney Baird
    assumed duties as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for West
    Africa and Security Affairs in September 2018. Previously, she
    served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Europe
    and European Union and Regional Affairs in the European Bureau.
        She was Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S.
    Embassy in London from 2014 to 2017. In addition to a number of
    positions in DC, she has also served overseas in Spain,
    Senegal, Togo, Canada, and Cameroon.
        Our second witness, Cheryl Anderson, is the Deputy
    Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Africa, where she has
    been responsible for West Africa and development planning.
    Before that, she served as Acting Assistant Administrator for
    Africa.
        Ms. Anderson joined USAID as a foreign service officer in
    1988 and has extensive field experience. She served as the
    USAID Mission Director for south and southern Africa, Ghana,
    and East Africa, and as Deputy Mission Director for East
    Africa.
        Before that, her overseas assignments included Sudan,
    eastern and southern African regional, Uganda, and the DRC. She
    began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana. We thank
    you both for your service. We have several Members of Congress
    that were also Peace Corps members.
        Ms. Baird? Let me mention that we do have your full
    testimony, and so we would like for you to speak for 5 minutes.
    And I believe you can see that. When the light turns yellow,
    you have a minute. When it turns red, time is up. Thank you.

    STATEMENT OF WHITNEY BAIRD, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WEST
    AFRICA AND SECURITY AFFAIRS, BUREAU OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS, UNITED
                       STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE

        Ms. Baird. Perfect. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Bass,
    Ranking Member Smith, and members of the subcommittee. It is a
    pleasure to be here today to discuss the complex challenges in
    the Sahel and our approach to them.
        First, I want to thank you for the interest and support we
    receive from Congress and from this subcommittee. Your
    willingness to visit the region and engage directly with the
    men and women at our embassies across Africa is greatly
    appreciated.
        The rapidly spreading instability in the Sahel threatens
    U.S. national security and undermines our diplomatic goals. It
    enables the spread of terrorism, stifles economic growth, and
    thwarts democratic institutions. We are focused on three lines
    of effort--greater coordination with international and regional
    partners, bolstering State legitimacy in the region, and
    implementing the Algiers Accord in Mali.
        Despite our efforts, the situation the Sahel continues to
    deteriorate. In Mali, signatories of the Algiers Peace Accord
    underperform on efforts to implement it. Terrorist groups
    exploit intercommunal attentions to further undercut tenuous
    government presence. And yet the government has largely failed
    to take the steps needed to reestablish State legitimacy and
    address insecurity.
        We engage at every level with the Malian government, with
    its neighbors and international partners, to encourage progress
    and to hold bad actors accountable. Burkina Faso faces its own
    terrorist threat, compounded by cross-border incursions from
    neighboring violent extremists, but its ability to respond is
    limited. We employ diplomatic defense and development
    initiatives to help respond to the crisis and prevent violence
    and insecurity from spreading further.
        On the other hand, Niger has managed to prevent extensive
    terrorist incursions in spite of instability on four borders.
    Niger is a good partner in a bad neighborhood. However, the
    security response we think is unsustainable. Niger is spending
    close to 25 percent of its budget on security, and that really
    precludes its investing in its people's needs.
        We focus on coordinating with partners and shoring up State
    legitimacy. We are also aware of the possibility that
    instability could take root in the coastal States, directly
    threatening the heart of U.S. economic interest in the region.
    We are exploring ways to help these countries develop
    accountable, stable security institutions, and promote human
    rights and good governance.
        We approach this litany of challenges through a
    comprehensive and balanced approach. Security-focused solutions
    are necessary but not sufficient in and of themselves.
    Development tools help government provide vital services to
    their citizens and improve economic opportunities for
    populations. Diplomatic engagement encourages good governance,
    improves coordination with our partners and other donors, and
    advances cornerstone objectives, such as implementing the
    Algiers Accord.
        Our embassies maintain robust dialog with civil society
    organizations that play a crucial role in stabilizing the
    region and holding governments accountable. Our African
    partners also play a vital role, and the Sahelian countries
    have exercised greater leadership in addressing their fragility
    and security challenges.
        For example, as you had mentioned, the G5 Sahel takes a
    holistic approach to security, and the coastal States have
    launched the Accra Initiative to improve security coordination
    and information-sharing in their military and security
    services. We also appreciate the increased role played by
    ECOWAS in coordinating the broader region's response to the
    crisis.
        Thank you again for the opportunity, and I look forward to
    answering your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Ms. Baird follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Ms. Bass. Wonderful.
        Ms. Anderson.

     STATEMENT OF CHERYL ANDERSON, DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR,
       BUREAU FOR AFRICA, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
                              DEVELOPMENT

        Ms. Anderson. Good afternoon, Chair Bass, Ranking Member
    Smith. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Sahel and
    the rising violence we are seeing there. The dynamics
    underpinning violence in the Sahel are caused by a mix of
    persistent instability, poverty, deteriorating environmental
    conditions, governance challenges, and lack of economic
    opportunity, all fertile ground for extremists determined to
    advance their ideology.
        USAID Administrator Mark Green has emphasized the urgency
    of addressing this violence. I appreciate the chance to share
    with you what we are going to respond to the crisis, to help
    reduce the violence, and to support resilience and eventual
    self-reliance.
        As you have heard from Deputy Assistant Secretary Baird,
    the Sahel is a vast and complex region with rapidly spreading
    insecurity. We have seen an increase in violent extremist
    activity, intercommunal conflict, and violence related to
    criminal networks and other armed groups. Just last week, a
    deputy mayor who is also a member of Parliament in Burkina Faso
    was assassinated. We were deeply saddened by this news. He was
    well-known for his personal commitment to peace and good
    governance.
        The escalation in violence has increased humanitarian
    needs, particularly in the tri-border area of Mali, Burkina
    Faso, and Niger. At the same time, the presence of armed groups
    along those border areas has limited our humanitarian access.
    Population displacements are on the rise with more than 270,000
    refugees and more than 900,000 internally displaced people in
    those three countries.
        The situation is especially worrying in Burkina Faso. When
    I visited in March, we were alarmed that the number had just
    surpassed 100,000. That number now is close to 500,000. Despite
    the enormous security challenges, we are responding to these
    humanitarian needs. USAID has provided over $130 million in
    humanitarian assistance in the three countries during Fiscal
    Year 2019, which includes emergency food aid and health
    services.
        Such humanitarian assistance is central to USAID's mission.
    We will always stand with other countries when a humanitarian
    crisis strikes. But we also want to help our partner countries
    move toward the day when they no longer need our assistance. In
    the Sahel, USAID has developed a strategic vision and will work
    with our partners to address priority issues, countering
    violent extremism, building citizen responsive governance, and
    strengthening resilience.
        I would like to give you a few examples. In countering
    violent extremism, USAID's Voices for Peace Program features
    broadcast radio and video programming on themes of peace,
    tolerance, good governance, and human rights, all in local
    languages and locally produced in partnership with respected
    local leaders and institutions. Voices for Peace generates
    positive local narratives and constructive dialogs about
    extremism.
        One of the results has been an 18 percent jump in listeners
    who now feel confident that working in partnership with
    security forces can be an effective way to combat violent
    extremism. In the area of citizen responsive governance, with
    USAID's help, one example is that local governments are now
    better able to manage their natural resources and community
    conflicts.
        Last year, USAID activities strengthened the effectiveness
    of almost 900 water user associations in Burkina Faso and
    Niger. USAID also supported the development of conflict
    mediation, which has helped reduce tensions in the region.
    These kinds of activities are critical to building stable, free
    societies and decreasing the appeal of extremist ideologies.
        Finally, on resilience, in Burkina Faso and Niger, USAID's
    resilience program, known as RISE, helps individuals and
    communities to better manage crises, feed their families, and
    invest in their futures. Over the past 5 years, households and
    communities reached by RISE have diversified livelihoods and
    rely less on government assistance to cope with shocks. One
    measure of success is that participants in RISE agricultural
    activities have seen their incomes grow by an average of 45
    percent.
        While the situation in the Sahel presents a complex set of
    challenges, one thing we are sure of is that the situation will
    not get better if the United States looks the other way. Left
    unaddressed, extremist violence in the region will likely
    spread elsewhere affecting security and well-being of U.S.
    economic partners and allies. That is why our efforts are
    vital.
        USAID is expanding our presence in the region, and we thank
    you for your support in that effort. We endeavor to leverage
    all available resources with our interagency colleagues and
    other partners to ensure the most effective and sustainable
    solutions to the challenges in the region.
        Thank you for your time, your interest, and your
    leadership. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and
    answering your questions.
        [The prepared statement of Ms. Anderson follows:]

        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Ms. Bass. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
        We are now going to begin questions. I will go for 5
    minutes, and then refer to my ranking member here.
        I really wanted to get a sense from both of you about what
    more needs to be done. I mean, I do not doubt that you are
    doing everything you can. But from your perspective, what more
    needs to be done? And then I also would like to know how we
    engage other countries, especially France.
        What impressed me about Burkina Faso was the number of
    violent attacks have increased several thousand percent since
    May, and it was not--you know, and I mentioned the fact that
    the embassy is understaffed. And so I wanted to know if you
    could comment to that. Does that--look surprised, Ms. Anderson?
    Maybe I will not say--maybe let me rephrase that and say that
    there are numerous positions unfilled. That, to me, is
    understaffed, but say it differently.
        Yes, go ahead.
        Ms. Baird. Chairwoman Bass, thank you very much. I will
    take these on in turn. On what more needs to be done, so if we
    look at the situation across the region as a whole, I think
    each country, if we look at the G5 Sahel and take each country
    is a little bit of a different case, so I will start with Mali,
    and then maybe talk about Burkina, and we can go from there.
        With Mali, really, I think that there is the question of
    both political will and coordination. I think political will is
    an internal question for the Malian government in making
    continued progress and implementing the Algiers Accord. The
    Algiers Accord is the instrument that we have blessed by the
    United Nations, and undergirded by MINUSMA, to move forward
    really the political stalemate with the three signatory
    parties.
        And we think it is very important that the government
    continue to make progress in meeting the benchmarks, and we
    really do believe that renewed political stability in Mali is
    one of the things that will help reduce the level of violence
    elsewhere in the region.
        You know, we have seen also an increase in intercommunal
    violence in the center of Mali, although what we have seen is
    that the government has taken some efforts to stem that, and it
    has had some positive effect. So with intervention by the
    government, it can take progress.
        What I will say in a greater sense is I think that we have
    many donors and many international partners with interests who
    are putting assistance of various kinds, whether it is security
    development, humanitarian, as well as diplomatic efforts in the
    region. What I think we do not need is more. I think what we do
    need is better focus and better coordination and better
    organization. We are not the only ones who feel this way. It is
    clear in our interactions with the French, with the European
    Union, and others, that others are feeling this as well. And we
    are seeing a convergence, and I am hoping that by doing that
    that we will have a better coordinated effort to assist the
    Malian government, if the Malian government will show the
    political will to move forward, that we can look at what does a
    post-MINUSMA Mali look like? What fills that security space----
        Ms. Bass. Didn't the French just----
        Ms. Baird [continuing]. In an objective way?
        Ms. Bass [continuing]. Send in troops?
        Ms. Baird. Sorry?
        Ms. Bass. Didn't the French just send in troops to Mali?
        Ms. Baird. The French had troops there as part of Operation
    Burkhane.
        Ms. Bass. Yes. But I mean increased.
        Ms. Baird. Actually, they have----
        Ms. Bass. In the last few weeks, I thought.
        Ms. Baird [continuing]. They have more, but they have
    shifted a good bit of their focus to Burkina Faso to really
    take on the jihadist--the surge in jihadist violence in
    Burkina.
        At the risk of going over my time, in Burkina, I think it
    is providing assistance and helping the Burkinabe organize
    their efforts to combat the attacks, I think. And I would pass
    to my colleague, I think really in Burkina part of what will
    have a long-lasting effect, positive effect, is sort of that--
    is that grinding work at a community level to rebuild State
    presence and State services to the population. That is the kind
    of work that USAID is doing on a community level, and I think
    that in Burkina, in the long run, is what will help them push
    back on the violence.
        Ms. Bass. Go on.
        Ms. Baird. Okay. On staffing--actually, I would like to
    talk about Niger just briefly because, again, I have noted that
    I think Niger has been an excellent partner for us. They have
    been quite serious in their work, both to combat the violence
    inside their borders, but also to do so in an effective and
    accountable way.
        The reality for us, again, what more can we do? We continue
    to partner with them. We continue to carry out our efforts in
    the broader region because they are beset on really every
    border. But, again, it is through kind of the community
    development and humanitarian assistance that USAID and other
    donor partners that allow Niger to deliver the kind of services
    to their population that builds State legitimacy, and that is
    really important for long-term success.
        On staffing, it is absolutely true, if I had a magic wand I
    would probably bump up staffing at all of these embassies.
    Their workload has increased greatly with, of course, the
    increase in violence. We are continually looking at ways to
    assist and backfill positions. These are austere operating
    environments, even in the best of times. We have people who
    unexpectedly have to leave because of medical emergencies and
    other issues. That is a fact of working in that part of Africa.
    What we do from Washington is try to look for additional TDY
    support and ways to ensure, you know, that we can lighten their
    load.
        Ms. Bass. TDY? Is that what you said?
        Ms. Baird. Sorry?
        Ms. Bass. TDY?
        Ms. Baird. TDY. Sorry. Temporary duty. So try to send
    people out, 6, 8 weeks, maybe 2 months, 6 months.
        Ms. Bass. So it is not a question of your funding?
        Ms. Baird. That would not be a question that I could
    actually answer. I would probably defer that to our
    Undersecretary for Management.
        Ms. Bass. Okay. Mr. Smith.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
        Thank you both for your great testimony and your
    leadership. Deeply appreciate it.
        Just a few questions. One of them, you know, with 20/20
    hindsight, could you tell us briefly what went wrong with Mali?
    Because that was back in 2012 before the coup, touted as a
    democratic government model or an example.
        Second, if you could, you know, religion and ethnicity are
    core concerns with respect to questions of identity among
    people in the Sahel, and are also factors that fuel conflict.
    And I know we always talk about other things, too, but how
    would you rate the importance of those two issues--religion and
    ethnicity? And what can be done to mitigate that, so there is
    greater understanding across those barriers between the two?
        If I could, too, as well on the issue of some diseases, and
    we know Burkina Faso is among the 10 countries, according to
    USAID, with the highest malaria disease burden in the world,
    and I am wondering, are we--how is our funding being directed
    toward that in Burkina Faso? And what about the other Sahel
    countries, how bad off are they, you know, given the
    unpredictability of their climate, which very often can lead to
    this?
        Mali, you know, you have highlighted the Feed the Future
    Program there, and of course food insecurity is big everywhere.
    But maybe you can spend a little time talking about what our
    efforts are. Is there a concern of an approaching drought that
    might need some, you know, prior thinking? Which I am sure you
    are doing.
        Is the first 1,000 days being implemented in these
    countries to ensure that both mother and baby are as healthy as
    they can be during pregnancy and then up until usually the
    second birthday? Of course, after that is important, too. But
    as we all know, that is critically important.
        Mali is the only country that is in PEPFAR, and I am
    wondering if you could just speak to that briefly, and whether
    or not other countries are perhaps in the queue to be put into
    the PEPFAR Initiative. We did reauthorize it, as you know, last
    year. I was the author of that bill. It was totally bipartisan,
    and it is authorized for 5 years.
        Of course, we always worry about the appropriations side of
    it. But if you can speak to--you know, because I think PEPFAR
    is one of the greatest successes, just like the Malaria
    Initiative, in saving lives and mitigating morbidity among so
    many.
        Protection of health and humanitarian workers, you know,
    the distinguished chairwoman and I, you know, have been talking
    over and over with all of the key players in DR Congo and the
    threats to the lives of health workers. We know that is always
    a problem. How big of a problem is it in the Sahel?
        Ms. Baird. Thank you very much. So that is quite a lineup
    of questions. I think I will try to take on a bit of the first
    two, and then I will pass it to my colleague who has a great
    deal more information on the intervention in health and
    humanitarian assistance.
        With Mali, I think what went wrong, I think that what we
    saw was the result of many years of frustration of lack of
    State presence. I think for us the Department of State and our
    work with countries that we think that it is absolutely crucial
    that the State is viewed in general as part of the solution,
    not part of the problem, and that they are in fact a State
    presence delivering services to their population, if security
    services are deemed to be accountable and transparent and
    respecting of human rights.
        I think that in 2012, in Mali, you saw a breakdown in many
    of these and a lack of State presence in large parts of the
    country, and an expression of dissatisfaction on parts of the
    population, and absolutely as well the spillover effects of the
    events in Libya, you know, absolutely.
        We can go back and revisit that. I think we are much more
    focused at this point now on----
        Mr. Smith. Getting past the prologue, the idea is, you
    know, what we can learn from----
        Ms. Baird. Right.
        Mr. Smith [continuing]. All of this sometimes prevents the
    next crisis.
        Ms. Baird. So I think that you touched on some of the
    issues--religion, ethnicity. I think intercommunal competition,
    competition for resources, in an area undergoing
    desertification, food insecurity, an unequal distribution of
    resources, and, again, lack of State presence. For us, in any
    of these countries, religion and ethnicity are important. These
    are all multi-ethnic and multi-religious communities, and,
    again, the best antidote are transparent, accountable, and
    democratic institutions.
        Ms. Anderson. Thank you very much. You touched on a number
    of very important issues. And if I miss any, we will be sure to
    get back to you with more details.
        Yes. This is a really high-disease burden, so we are
    responding with our humanitarian assistance to health issues.
    But we are not--we cannot forget the long-term commitment to
    building health systems in the Sahel. And that is an important
    part of building resilience and building institutions for
    eventual self-reliance in those countries.
        We have had a long-term commitment in health in Mali, as
    you know, but also in Burkina we have a particular emphasis on
    malaria. That is the biggest killer of children under 5 is
    Malaria now, and we are seeing some good advances, which I saw
    when I was on my trip.
        Also, we do have PEPFAR activities in Burkina Faso where we
    are working toward the 90-90-90 goals of PEPFAR. And as part of
    a regional program that we have that is relatively small,
    because we are talking about relatively small populations, but
    there is a lot in common across a number of the West African
    countries on their efforts to get to epidemic control of HIV.
        So we are pretty proud of that small program, and we are
    seeing pretty good progress there, despite all of the
    challenges. On our food security work, and addressing drought,
    that is always a central part of what we have been doing. We
    have especially important programs in Mali and Niger for Feed
    the Future, and we are constantly using whatever technology we
    can find to predict what is coming up. But also, our efforts
    are very strong on building resilience to whatever next shock
    is coming. We know that there are constant shocks from drought
    in the Sahel.
        I think I have covered most of those questions.
        Mr. Smith. And first 1,000 days?
        Ms. Anderson. The first 1,000 days, that is also really
    important for us, including in the Sahel. I would be happy to
    provide some more detail----
        Mr. Smith. Thank you. I would appreciate that very much----
        Ms. Anderson [continuing]. In writing.
        Mr. Smith [continuing]. If you would. Let me just ask you,
    if I could--and I thank the gentlelady from California--for
    some additional time.
        So we can better understand and adjust the problems of the
    Sahel, can you give a little more specific--be a little more
    specific in addressing the grievances of the Tuareg and the
    Fulani? How is that being addressed to try to mitigate, again,
    their bouts of violence?
        On the issue of Russia and China, what is the footprint of
    China these days in the Sahel? We know what they have done in
    much of Africa, and have a general sense of what they are doing
    there but would love to see your current insights, particularly
    with the debt burden that they place on countries, and in many
    cases, the fleecing of their natural resources at bargain
    basement prices. So if you can speak to that as well.
        Ms. Baird. Thank you. So, I mean, further on grievances of
    individual communities, I think, again, overall I think that we
    do--so I would say we would view with some concern that
    competition--I think our view is competition for resources has
    pushed a level of intercommunal violence that is creating a
    situation where it is easy to and often there is a demonization
    of herder communities, certainly the pull of the Falani among
    them.
        I think from our perspective there is no good to be come
    from this. This is an area where there needs to be continued
    community building and intervention, both by civil society and
    State institutions, to ensure that communities are continually
    communicating on how they share resources, share space, and
    share economic opportunities.
        And I think only with those kinds of interventions and
    those kinds of conversations do you get to a long-term solution
    to those kinds of grievances. I think there is a reality that
    desertification/climate change is creating a situation, along
    with demographic pressure, that this competition for resources
    is not going to reduce. It is going to increase. So, again, a
    State presence that is effective and community organizations,
    civil society intervention in building that kind of dialog is
    really the only way in the long run to get at those underlying
    grievances.
        Mr. Smith. Excuse me 1 second. And religious community, are
    they playing a vital role?
        Ms. Baird. I think it is very important that the religious
    community--I think that one of the ways that jihadist
    extremists break down community structures is by breaking down
    that communication, that role that traditional leaders,
    religious leaders, community leaders, play in resolving
    community-level conflicts.
        And maybe before passing to Russia and China, I will pass
    to my colleague, and she may have some intervention as well.
        Ms. Anderson. Thanks. I would just briefly say on that
    topic that our efforts locally in the Sahel to build peace and
    to encourage that kind of dialog are very important in building
    that link between the people and their government in addressing
    grievances. And I agree that religious communities and, in
    fact, any partners on the ground who can play an important
    role, we are looking to talk to them and involve them, and that
    does include religious communities.
        Ms. Baird. One last thing I would say is, as part of those
    community conversations, not just broader civil society, but
    more specifically engaging with women and women's groups and
    ensuring that women are part of those dialogs, and community
    interventions, is absolutely crucial. What we do know is, of
    course, women and children bear, really, the burden of this
    kind of violence, and of the displacement that occurs because
    of it.
        Just passing very quickly to Russia and China, absolutely,
    Russia and China, particularly China present throughout the
    region in an economic way, and increasingly I think with some--
    with interest in security cooperation with Russia, our sense
    generally is its presence has been primarily with an interest
    to sell products.
        Our view is--with China is that there is a certain caveat
    emptor that with each of these governments that they should
    examine any and all deals that are offered to them very
    carefully, and they should weigh, obviously, the long-term
    potential burdens of taking on these deals.
        We certainly do not walk in and just say, you know,
    everyone else good, China bad, because I think that they are
    there and they are competing to give resources. On the other
    hand, we view with, I would say, consternation deals that do
    tie up critical resources and strategic minerals and other
    things, and that we remain in dialog with governments to try to
    make sure at least that they feel that they are making informed
    decisions.
        We do have--you know, we have details on presence, and we
    would be happy to get back to you with details on what some of
    the----
        Mr. Smith. I you could for the record, it would be very,
    very helpful.
        Ms. Baird. Okay. Thank you.
        Mr. Smith. Because there is not--we look at so many of the
    other countries that are being malaffected by Chinese influence
    with the ag governance model. We do not have a whole lot on the
    Sahel, so that would be great.
        Ms. Baird. Okay.
        Mr. Smith. Madam Chair, thank you for that very generous
    extension of time. I do ask unanimous consent that remarks by
    ranking member of the full committee, Michael McCaul, be
    entered into the record.
        Ms. Bass. Without objection.
        [The information referred to follows:]

        INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you.
        Ms. Bass. One of the things that was noted over and over
    again on our visit a month or so ago was that there have been
    very few visits by high-level U.S. diplomatic personnel to the
    Sahel in recent years. And unlike the EU, the U.S. does not
    maintain a high-level diplomatic envoy to the region.
        So I wanted to know what your thoughts were about any
    changes that should be made to U.S. diplomatic engagement in
    the Sahel. Both of you, if you could respond to that.
        Ms. Baird. Thank you very much. Since I have been to all of
    the countries, I assumed you were saying that my level is not
    quite high enough, but I do not disagree. I would say that
    Undersecretary of Political Affairs David Hale has taken a
    great deal of interest in the Sahel.
        And based after his visit, which I accompanied him on to
    Niger last February, he actually arranged for us to brief the
    Secretary on what we saw as the problem set and what our
    engagement could look like, which we did.
        Coming out of that, the Undersecretary has also directed us
    to go back and relook at our diplomatic engagement strategy for
    the Sahel and looking at ways that, (a) he can play a larger
    role, and we, the United States, can play a larger role. And we
    have been working on that and reviewing that with the
    Undersecretary.
        As regards the potential for a special envoy on Sahel
    issues, I know that many of our European partners do have a
    special-hatted envoy. I think that our Assistant Secretary, in
    talking to other officials, have taken on that question. And
    when there is a decision, you know, I think that there would be
    an announcement one way or the other, but it certainly is under
    consideration. We are looking at whatever ways are possible to
    help influence the situation there in a positive way.
        Ms. Bass. Do you think that would be helpful? Is that being
    pushed for in the----
        Ms. Baird. I think it is a possibility, and I would then
    defer to my boss, the Assistant Secretary, for a decision.
        Ms. Bass. I am sorry. Say that last part again.
        Ms. Baird. So I would say, I would defer to my boss, the
    Assistant Secretary, for a decision on that. I think we have
    weighed in, but I think I would leave that to him to decide,
    and if they made a decision to announce.
        Ms. Bass. Ms. Anderson, thoughts?
        Ms. Anderson. I would just say, yes, that is an area where
    we could do better in terms of high-level visits to the region,
    and I would hope that----
        Ms. Bass. You know, I mean, I mention that in terms of
    diplomatic, but it is also the same thing with congressional as
    well. And so one of the things that we are going to really try
    to work on is to get more congressional delegations to go as
    well.
        Ms. Anderson. And maybe there could be a joint visit.
        Ms. Bass. Well, there you go. Nice idea. We will propose
    that.
        Ms. Anderson. I would hope we could have a visit--some
    visits in the not-too-distant future. You are always welcome,
    and I think it is always a big boost, not only diplomatically
    in advancing our agenda, but also to our staff who are working
    under, as you know, very difficult circumstances.
        Ms. Bass. Well, I always try to, when I travel abroad, pay
    particular attention to that because when I go to country team
    meetings, to me it is quite visible people are demoralized and
    need to know that we respect the work they do. We know the work
    that is going on, and I think it is very important to offer
    that type of solidarity.
        Ms. Anderson. Thank you.
        Ms. Bass. What has been the impact of worsening security
    conditions in Mali, Burkina Faso, and parts of Niger on the
    ability of U.S. civilian personnel and assistance implementers
    to administer and oversee diplomatic and foreign aid
    activities?
        And I had asked Ms. Baird about the staffing situation, and
    I do not know if that is one of the reasons why positions are
    unfilled, but I would like for you to respond to that, too, Ms.
    Anderson.
        Ms. Anderson. We are actually increasing our efforts in
    Niger and Burkina Faso, and yet it is getting in some places
    increasingly difficult to get out to the field and do the kind
    of oversight that we need to do.
        We work where we can, and there are cases where diplomatic
    security keeps us closer to the capital. And we are not
    actually able to send our staff out into the field, so we look
    for any innovations that we can find. We do a fair amount of
    third-party monitoring of our activities, and we have our
    partners implementing activities.
        We never want to put anybody into direct danger, and we
    have very many courageous partners who are out there. So we do
    third-party monitoring using--getting information from people
    who are already in the local locations and can send us
    information. We use technology to do that monitoring.
        Our staff--turning to the question about unfilled positions
    and the challenges in staffing USAID in the Sahel, it is hard
    to staff those positions sometimes. We have worked on something
    we are calling a difficult-to-staff incentive differential,
    which we have piloted. It seems to be having----
        Ms. Bass. What is it?
        Ms. Anderson [continuing]. An impact.
        Ms. Bass. What is it?
        Ms. Anderson. It is additional differential payment for
    people who are willing to go to those posts, so that we align
    better with the State Department's policies, actually.
        Ms. Bass. Are there any other incentives that could be
    offered, such as more frequent return visits home, you know,
    back to the States? I mean, is there a package of benefits that
    could be put together?
        Ms. Anderson. These are things that we have been thinking
    about because we offer that in some other places, and I think
    that has----
        Ms. Bass. Where is an example of where you offer that?
        Ms. Anderson. For example, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, South
    Sudan.
        Ms. Bass. And so there is a difference, so what you offer
    for those countries you do not offer for people that are at
    Burkina Faso?
        Ms. Anderson. Yes. And then we have worked with--in our
    bidding system for foreign service officers ways to require
    people to bid on the priority positions that we establish, and
    those often include the Sahel. So we are looking at----
        Ms. Bass. Do you think that makes a difference? I mean, in
    Afghanistan, for example, do you have trouble getting people to
    go to Afghanistan?
        Ms. Anderson. We think the incentives are--actually, the
    financial incentives are working quite well.
        Ms. Bass. So that could be a big possibility, then,
    correct?
        Ms. Anderson. Yes.
        Ms. Bass. So what does it take to make that happen?
        Ms. Anderson. Yes. That is something that is ongoing in our
    review of the incentive that we have already provided. And
    then, as we go through the next round of assignments, we will
    have a look and see how it is working. If we can get the right
    people into the right places, great. If not, we will have to
    turn to the next step.
        Ms. Bass. So I am not sure if that sounds very promising. I
    mean, that does not sound like anything that is getting ready
    to happen anytime soon. Go ahead.
        Ms. Baird. Those considerations are also sort of a constant
    conversation that we have. One of the things I would say is if
    you make the sorts of changes that provide the incentives that
    are present in a place like Afghanistan, Somalia, some others,
    then you are taking on a 1-year post and you are making a
    change in whether dependents can also travel to post.
        So it changes the tenor of the post. So I think that is an
    ongoing conversation and a balance with post leadership and the
    Undersecretary for Management in the Department and our other
    agencies that you review, because you are--you know, there are
    tradeoffs on any of these decisions when you are making that
    kind of calculation.
        Ms. Bass. You know, I understand that. I guess, you know,
    being in a place that had a 7,000 percent increase in attacks
    in 6 months, and what you just described, I just do not know
    what that means in terms of an ongoing conversation, and this
    and that. It just sounds like nothing is getting ready to
    happen soon.
        Ms. Baird. We have a constant conversation with our post,
    with their--in the case of Burkina Faso, with Ambassador Young
    and the Deputy Chief of Mission, with their management staff.
    They review. They hold Emergency Action Committee meetings
    regularly, town hall meetings to ensure that they are keeping
    in touch with the dependent community, and, in fact, the
    unofficial American community that is present there to ensure
    that they feel comfortable with the security situation.
        In fact, in Burkina, they held Emergency Action Committee
    meetings this week and a town hall this week, and, you know, we
    continue a robust conversation. Absolutely, the safety and
    security of the American staff and family members is really our
    top priority. Beyond anything else, that is our first
    responsibility overseas.
        Ms. Bass. So let me just state for the record that when I
    was in Burkina Faso, the staff made absolutely no complaints,
    didn't say they were looking for more staff. That was my
    opinion, especially when I see all of the violence that has
    increased, and it must be very frightening to work there. So
    they were not pushing for that, but empty chairs are empty
    chairs. They do kind of speak for themselves.
        So I guess I am still not quite clear what moves the dial,
    so that a decision is made.
        Ms. Anderson. I could also add that we have the option,
    when we have vacancies, whether it is caused by somebody
    departing unexpectedly or inability to fill a position, we can
    also turn to hiring people as personal services contractors,
    and we have done that pretty frequently.
        For example, in Niger, at the moment we have someone who is
    serving as a personal services contractor as the acting head of
    the operating unit there until we are able to fill the
    position. And that is sometimes more flexible for us, often
    more flexible.
        Ms. Bass. Yes. Sure, I understand that. So one last
    question before I move to Representative Houlahan. So do you
    think that the violence in Burkina Faso--I know some of it is
    ideological--but overall, do you think it is ideological or is
    it economic-based?
        Ms. Baird. I would say that it is a combination. I think
    that there are certainly----
        Ms. Bass. 50/50?
        Ms. Baird. I do not know. I think that there are elements
    of probably, again, frustration with the lack of State presence
    and service provision. I think that there are economic
    difficulties, poverty, competition for resources, and in fact
    there are--I think there is probably some fluidity, but I think
    there absolutely are committed jihadists in the region, and
    people who are very vulnerable to recruitment.
        Ms. Bass. Identified with one of the larger groups, like
    AQIM or Boko Haram?
        Ms. Baird. Indeed, or Ansar al Islam, which appears to be
    more of a homegrown Burkinabe group. And so I think it is a
    mix, and I think it is----
        Ms. Bass. And, again, I was just talking about Burkina Faso
    initially.
        Ms. Baird. Right. It is an unholy mix, and that probably is
    what made it so difficult to get--you know, to get your arms
    around and for the Burkinabe government and security forces to
    take it on in any kind of effective way.
        Ms. Bass. Representative Houlahan.
        Ms. Houlahan. Thank you. And thank you, ladies, for coming
    today. I understand earlier, Ms. Baird, that you were talking a
    little bit about the importance of engaging women, particularly
    in extremism and violent situations in terms of security. Can
    you give us some detail about that possibly? What does
    engagement look like, and how are you encouraging it in terms
    of peace and security?
        Ms. Baird. Thank you. I will answer briefly, and then pass
    to my colleague, because USAID also I think is heavily engaged.
    From the point of view of the Embassy or the Department of
    State, we do outreach on many levels to reach women's groups,
    to ensure that our public outreach and our community-building
    activities include civil society but particularly women's
    groups.
        I think, you know, just as a policy matter it is really
    important in these very economically challenged regions where
    there is large demographic pressure that every member of
    society feels that they have a legitimate voice. Our public
    diplomacy efforts and efforts in outreach try to reach at sort
    of micro level these small groups but also at a macro level.
        In our discussions with the host governments, to ensure
    that their policies are inclusive, it is just a basic part of
    our DNA and the way that we work. Additionally, I think one of
    the best programs we have in Africa is the Young African
    Leaders Initiative, the YALI Program, which seeks to--which
    these young people nominate themselves for and helps them come
    to the United States or go for regional training in Dakar and
    begin to build networks, so it is not exclusively women but I
    think we work very hard to ensure that there is good
    representation of young women, so that they get the exposure
    and the network opportunities to take back, whether in
    entrepreneurship or whether they themselves are moving into
    civil society or government positions, that they have that
    feeling of power, so that they can contribute moving forward.
    We think that is very important to success of any of our
    policies there.
        Ms. Houlahan. And in your particular function--and then I
    would love to hear from you, Ms. Anderson, too--it also is
    important that people see what they hope to be in a sense when
    you are looking at your own staff in the region. Is there a
    good diversity represented in terms of gender as well as other
    diversification?
        Ms. Baird. Absolutely. In all of our embassies in the
    region, I think we look to recruit--if you are talking
    particularly about professional, locally engaged staff, where
    possible, you want to have inclusion, not just gender inclusion
    but also ethnic inclusion.
        Ms. Houlahan. Sure.
        Ms. Baird. In countries where often there is a great deal
    of scratchy relationships perhaps between ethnic groups, or
    there may be competition for power, it is very important that
    the embassies model to the best of their ability the inclusive
    nature that should exist in each of the countries.
        Ms. Houlahan. Yes. And the only reason I ask is in my very
    limited time here in Congress I did have the opportunity to go
    to the Middle East and sat with the State Department there and
    was really pretty unpleased, displeased with the ratio of men
    and women there in our own, you know, core. And thank you.
        Ms. Anderson, if you have anything to add to that, I would
    love to hear, too.
        Ms. Anderson. Thank you. Women and youth are central to all
    of our planning and our programming in USAID. They have to be,
    especially in the Sahel for us to be successful. So when you
    think about, for instance, countering violent extremism, women
    can play a very positive role in peace and security, and they
    can also be co-opted to play terrible roles.
        So this has to be a part of our planning, and it is part of
    our policy in terms of how we plan our programs. And engaging
    women in youth, when you think about the opportunities that we
    can present for women to create peace in their communities, one
    thing we are doing with our program that we call Voices for
    Peace, it gives women in tech a special effort to incorporate
    technologies, so that women can have their own radio
    programming and speak to larger numbers of people.
        In education, for example, in Niger, there is an 18 percent
    gap in enrollment between girls and boys. So we are always
    focusing on how can we ensure the equality and equities in our
    programs.
        Food security, we have to make sure that women are engaged
    and that women can have access to the kinds of--to land, to
    land tenure, documentation of the land, to the inputs they
    need, the financing, and also have control over those resources
    because they play a really important role in food security in
    the Sahel, as well as in their household, food security and
    resilience.
        Ms. Houlahan. And I know that I have run out of time, so I
    would love it if I could have another opportunity when we
    finish with everybody. That would be great. I apologize. thank
    you.
        Ms. Anderson. I also think, in terms of our diversity and
    staff, I think we are doing pretty well. It is important also
    to think about, we also look at our own--our local staff, our
    foreign service national staff, and that is also important to
    us.
        Ms. Bass. But on that note, though, I would say there is
    definitely more that needs to be done on the racial diversity
    on the U.S. staff. I understand the local staff, but the U.S.
    staff, there is a pretty sharp lack of diversity.
        Ms. Bass. Ms. Jackson Lee.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for
    the courtesy of being part of this program, this hearing.
        And I am appreciative of the service of both of you. If I
    could just ask, is there an Assistant Secretary for West
    African Security Affairs in place?
        Ms. Baird. We have an assistant. Our Assistant Secretary
    for African Affairs, Tibor Najy, is in place, yes. He----
        Ms. Jackson Lee. And is that a permanent appointment?
        Ms. Baird. It is a permanent appointment.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. Has been confirmed?
        Ms. Baird. He was a career foreign service officer and had
    retired and was appointed by the Administration and has been in
    place since I believe it is July 2018.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. And is there an Assistant Administrator
    for the Bureau for Africa? I think that is--you are Deputy
    Assistant, Ms. Anderson. Is there an Administrator in place?
        Ms. Anderson. For Africa, the head of our Africa Bureau is
    Ramsey Day. And his title now is Senior Deputy Assistant
    Administrator, as the head of the Bureau.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. And he is in place.
        Ms. Anderson. Yes.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. What is the person's name?
        Ms. Anderson. Ramsey Day.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. Okay. And that has been in place since how
    long?
        Ms. Anderson. I think he has been in place since September
    2018.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. Okay. So at least a year they have been in
    place. I think that is important because I was able to join the
    codel that Congresswoman Bass led to Djibouti and Burkina Faso
    and Niger, and certainly to Germany.
        One of the strongest proponents of friendship that I think
    we have in the competition to snatch Africa into one corner or
    the other, rather than treating the continent as respected
    future leaders of the world, frankly, in an economy that is
    going to surpass many economies, is a question of security.
        The level of conflict is going to continuously undermine, I
    think, the potential for growth. So my question is: in your
    work, are you aware of the Africa Command and its work, and are
    there briefings that you all engage in to discern what the
    security level of the country--of some of the countries that I
    have mentioned?
        Every one of these countries, except Djibouti of course,
    was concerned about security, and it was a detriment to any
    economic growth that they could have. So what is the
    relationship between, in particular, the Africa Bureau, the
    Assistant Secretary, and Africa Command?
        Ms. Baird. Thank you very much for that. In fact, part of
    my responsibility, it is not just West Africa, but my other
    responsibility is regional peace and security issues for the
    continent, for the Africa Bureau.
        We have a very close relationship with AFRICOM, with the
    Africa Command. I was there in October meeting with the
    officials there, as well as with Ambassadors from four of the
    five G5 Sahel countries. Our Ambassadors from Mauritania, from
    Niger, from Mali, and Burkina Faso all came, and we came
    together to discuss our joint security concerns and the ways
    that we could respond to that.
        And, in fact, I will be going out in just a few weeks to--
    again, to AFRICOM to meet with our Ambassadors from Ghana,
    Togo, and Benin to talk about some of the issues associated
    with security in those coastal countries. I absolutely agree
    with you that the security concerns are thwarting countries'
    economic ambitions.
        I think for our Assistant Secretary the growth--the
    potential growth in markets and the youth bulge in these
    countries is one of the most important aspects that should
    inform our relationship with countries. The reality in the
    Sahel is in many cases humanitarian development concerns and
    the security concerns overweigh the potential economic
    development. I think we have a more encouraging story to tell
    in the short term with countries like Ghana, with Cote
    d'Ivoire, with Senegal, and others, but we stay engaged with
    all of them. And so we very much appreciate your interest and
    your visits there, and we continue to coordinate.
        It is absolutely a 3D approach--development, defense, and
    diplomacy. It is absolutely crucial.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. And I appreciate that. I think it is
    important. I am not suggesting boots on the ground. I am not
    suggesting engaging in war, but I do think it is important
    for--at the highest level of the State Department, the
    Secretary of State, to realize the--``detraction'' is too light
    a word--that occurs for the success of Burkina Faso, if the
    head of State is spending a great amount of time and it looks
    as if that should be a pronounced policy of the State
    Department to work with the continent and countries on dealing
    with--you know, the African Union and others are dealing with
    this mounting violence that occurs, decapitation, the taking of
    young girls just recently.
        It is certainly rampant in Nigeria where, in particular, I
    just met the mother of Rebecca Sharibu, a Christian girl, that
    I would request what we are doing to help secure her freedom.
        But the point is, the violence is extensive. You sit in
    these countries and meet with their presidents, and they are
    consumed with it. And I just think it needs to be a high-
    profile issue at the State Department level to be able to
    engage with either other African countries that can be of help
    to let--it is a humanitarian crisis--but to let Africa know
    that we stand with them against this violence.
        And we want to assist them in those countries taking charge
    of this violence, because it is destabilizing, but it is also
    interfering with all of the young leaders that are really
    trying to--when I say ``leaders,'' I am talking about young
    people who are trying to create a new Africa. So----
        Ms. Baird. Thank you very much. For us, our engagement, we
    absolutely agree that it is important for us to remain engaged
    with the countries that are facing violence, but also, frankly,
    with their regional partners to look at ways to help them push
    back on that.
        Additionally, a great deal of our assistance is in trying
    to help these countries build, secure, and accountable security
    services that are viewed by their populations as part of the
    solution and not part of the problem, to work with them so that
    they are able to meet the security challenges and the violence
    without, in fact, inflicting violence, further violence on
    innocent members of their own population.
        And so I appreciate your interest and your continued
    interest. It absolutely is a priority for us.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. I thank the chair, and I would appreciate
    it if I could get some report back on Rebecca's standing. You
    were shaking your head as you know the story out of--and there
    are several of us engaged. It seems like she is being
    particularly brutalized, and we hope she is alive and wish that
    she is alive, and praying for her, but we need to know anything
    that we are able to do.
        Ms. Baird. Thank you very much. We will be happy to get
    back to you with details. I do not have them with me right now.
    Yes, Nigeria is within my area of responsibility, and
    absolutely our embassy is consistently engaged with the
    Nigerian government and with other partners to see what we can
    do to encourage her release, and to ensure her well-being. I
    appreciate your interest.
        Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you. I yield back. Thank you.
        Ms. Bass. Representative Houlahan, you are welcome.
        Ms. Houlahan. Thank you. I want to just followup on some of
    those questions. And I believe, Ms. Anderson, you would be
    probably most appropriate to answer this question. We talked a
    little bit about women and their engagement helpfully and in a
    harmful way in terms of peace and security, but no women could
    be--or girl can be helpful or harmful if they are not alive, if
    they are not healthy.
        And one of the things that I have been struck by is the
    defunding on the United States' side of the UNFPA. And I wanted
    to understand from you, Ms. Anderson, what is USAID doing to
    help make sure that maternal mortality continues to be
    addressed, to make sure that women and girls are healthy in the
    absence of UNFPA support in that area?
        Ms. Anderson. Thank you. Maternal and child health is of
    critical importance to us in the Sahel, and we also recognize
    that almost 65 percent of the population is under 25, and we
    recognize the challenges posed to maternal and child health by
    unhealthy child spacing.
        So we are investing in the latest Fiscal Year approximately
    $29 million across the Sahel in maternal and child health, and
    about $24 million in family planning, voluntary family
    planning.
        Ms. Houlahan. And I helped lead a letter that basically
    implored this Administration to continue or recontinue the
    funding for UNFPA. Is there anything else that a Member of
    Congress, that we here in this body, can do to be helpful, to
    continue to advocate for that? Is there anything else that we
    can be doing to be more helpful on this issue that is clearly
    very worrisome for many of us?
        Ms. Anderson. I think I would say that was a policy
    decision.
        Ms. Houlahan. Ms. Baird, do you have anything to add?
        Ms. Baird. No.
        Ms. Houlahan. My last question for you all has to do with
    all of this schools that I understand have been being closed,
    9,000 schools have been closed across the Sahel and Central
    Africa, and people are in tenuous situations in terms of their
    ability to access education. What are the alternative efforts
    that are ongoing? Where are these kids and young people able to
    seek education, if anywhere?
        Ms. Baird. So I think, first, I will take that on as,
    really, a larger policy issue. I know that when I was in
    Burkina Faso, President Kabore made an absolute point that is
    one of the most worrisome aspects for him was at that point
    there were well over 1,000 schools that had been forced to be
    closed because of violence which created situations where the
    teachers in most cases had had to flee.
        It is an aspect of the lack of State presence, which again
    reduces State legitimacy and the sense of the government
    delivering services to the population, and, indeed, it makes
    young people ever more vulnerable.
        I think, you know, in the first instance, I think in all of
    these countries there is intent and desire for the security
    services to retake and then try to hold some of these areas in
    order to bit by bit, in an incremental way, get schools back
    open, begin to get community and local and regional
    governmental operations going again.
        But I think, you know, I would be lying if I said this
    would be anything but an incremental effort that will take a
    good bit of time because security services can go in and take a
    village, you know, clear it out, but what is required to
    actually hold it in the sense of rebuilding the community is
    that State presence, the police, the gendarmes, you know, the
    judges, I mean, just all of the elements of a community that
    operates, including teachers and the families and the kids.
        So one of the aspects of this that I think is most
    destructive is the closure of schools and the what we would
    call ``annee blanche,'' the situation where children are
    missing years of their education because it is very difficult
    to make that back. It is part of our effort and intervention,
    and I know USAID is engaged as well.
        Ms. Houlahan. Speaking of the USAID, what kind of efforts
    are you using, maybe with UNICEF, to create alternative
    learning? You guys mentioned something about radio programming,
    faith-based learning. Is there any other alternative
    opportunities for people to seek education?
        Ms. Anderson. It is incredible to see how much communities
    and families value education. And even when the children are in
    danger by being in school because the school is associated with
    the government and it is a target of attack, the value of that
    education is so important.
        And one of the things that we are doing is we are, as part
    of our resilience efforts, is to help schools be prepared. So
    if there is an attack, how do you quickly build back? How do
    you quickly get back into action with your school? We are
    targeting out-of-school youth as well, so that we can find ways
    that they can have alternatives to actual formal school
    learning.
        And we are part of a network of other development partners
    that is called Education in Emergencies. So we are learning
    from each other, and we are using any kind of technology that
    is available to be able to provide education to the kids who
    are affected by violence and they have been, for whatever
    reason, not able to go to their actual schools.
        Ms. Houlahan. Thank you. And I am out of time, sadly, but I
    would like to emphasize that although I do understand that
    UNFPA lack of funding or funding is a policy decision, it is
    present in all of the Sahel region. And as a result, the fact
    that we are not actively engaged in funding the issues that you
    are talking about with women's reproductive health and health
    in general means that people are dying as a consequence,
    particularly women.
        Thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate
    it.
        Ms. Bass. I just have a couple more questions and we will
    be finished. I wanted to ask you, to what extent has a lack of
    transparency surrounding natural resource extraction in Burkina
    Faso driven political grievances in the country? What do you
    know, in general, about the natural resources and the
    contracts?
        Ms. Baird. I think I will have to get back to you with
    details on that. I think in a general sense, obviously, lack of
    transparency in disposition of critical resources in resource-
    challenged countries is always an area of potential grievance.
        I know that Burkina Faso is blessed with critical minerals,
    but the specifics beyond the companies that I know are
    operating in the region and how those----
        Ms. Bass. Do you know if there are any American companies?
        Ms. Baird. Sorry?
        Ms. Bass. Do you know if there are any American companies?
        Ms. Baird. Not major mining companies. The Canadians are
    very present, however.
        Ms. Bass. How about the French?
        Ms. Baird. In mining, I do not have that detail. The
    Canadians I know about because, of course, it was the Canadian
    mining company's convoy that was attacked late last week where,
    you know, 39, 40 people were killed. It was really an egregious
    attack, very worrisome.
        Ms. Bass. So I had asked earlier, but I do not think you
    guys responded, about our relationship with the French, how we
    cooperate, especially on the security situation. And also, I
    mean, I asked about the natural resources because, you know,
    obviously, to address the root causes in these countries, we
    have to look at their natural wealth.
        And while we address the surface issues, I just always
    wonder what we are doing around those issues as well. If they
    had control of their resources with better contracts, or good
    contracts, maybe they would have more resources to do things,
    like education, all the schools you talked about being closed,
    be able to actually respond to their own security situation.
        Ms. Baird. No. I would be happy to talk about our
    cooperation with the French, and then maybe I will pass it to
    Cheryl, who can talk a bit about our donor coordination with
    the French, which I think is also quite robust.
        Both in diplomacy and in security, we have a very close
    relationship with the French. Certainly, in the Sahel, through
    Operation Barkhane, the French counterterrorism efforts, we
    have supported that. We view their efforts in pushing back on
    Jainem and other jihadist actors is very much in our own
    interest in promoting stability in the region.
        We consult very closely with the French. We have a P3
    process where we have regular conversations with our French and
    British partners. In fact, our Assistant Secretary does regular
    secure video teleconferences with----
        Ms. Bass. Do you think their financial investment is close
    to ours in terms of their embassy? Do they have difficulties
    staffing it like we do? Do they have their counterpart to
    USAID, do they put in an equal amount? More? Less?
        Ms. Baird. I think the French are very present in each and
    every one of these countries, obviously, and most of them, the
    francophone ones, they have these long-term post-Colonial
    relationships, and they are----
        Ms. Bass. And that is why I am asking. I just want to know
    the----
        Ms. Baird. The question of how they staff and how----
        Ms. Bass. Doesn't mean they are----
        Ms. Baird [continuing]. Easily they can staff, I do not
    have the detail. I do not have the detail on that. I do know,
    you know, on an individual level in each of these countries
    there is very close coordination between our chiefs of mission
    and our diplomatic and our security personnel. And certainly
    from Washington, with Paris, we keep in very close touch.
        Ms. Bass. Thank you.
        Ms. Anderson. By some measures, in the Sahel we are the
    largest donor, especially in humanitarian assistance. But
    across the Sahel, actually altogether we are the second largest
    bilateral donor, and we are No. 2 to the French. So it is
    really important for us to be coordinating with the French on
    humanitarian as well as development in all our resilience work.
        We have structures set up in each country so that we have
    got coordination across the bilateral and multi-lateral donors,
    preferably with the government, with a partner government
    involved. And so there we are ensuring that we have the
    appropriate division of labor and that we are not working at
    cross-purposes, not duplicating efforts. We also coordinate at
    the headquarters level.
        There is another structure that has been set up as well,
    and that is called the Sahel Alliance, so part of the G5 Sahel
    alliance on security and development. We are an observer. Our
    status is observer in the Sahel Alliance.
        And there was a very large meeting of the Alliance last
    December, including the partner countries represented, and I
    think there has been a lot of--at least a lot of pledging of
    support. I think what is important now is the real
    coordination, and actually delivering what has been promised.
        And I have to say, we are not a full member partly because
    there was an expectation of being part of the mechanisms that
    were set up, and those can be sometimes cumbersome and slow and
    hard for us, given the requirements that we have for delivering
    development assistance.
        But, anyway, it provides us a platform for coordination
    that I think is very important, and it also is a very important
    statement by the G5 Sahel members that, yes, security actions
    are important, and our armed forces are important, but
    development and building resilience is also very important, and
    preventing violent extremism and preventing violence in the
    region is very important as well.
        Ms. Bass. Well, I just want to thank both of you for your
    time today, and of course for your service. And anything that I
    can do, we can do here to be supportive of your efforts, we
    would very much appreciate hearing your recommendations and
    advice.
        So with this, the committee stands adjourned. Thank you.
        [Whereupon, at 3:41 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

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                        STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD
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            RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
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