Crisis management in sub-Saharan Africa. The role of the European Union

Relations between the EU and African countries were for a long time essentially economic and development oriented. This remains the fundamental dimension of EU-African relations but, in recent times, the issue of conflict prevention has gained increasing importance in the overall EU policy towards Africa. The main focus of current EU policy is on addressing the root causes of instability and violent conflict. Sub-Saharan Africa comprises 48 countries: all African states with the exception of Northern African countries.