This article analyzes the ongoing democratic transition in Chad following the death of President Idriss Déby in 2021. While his son, Mahamat Déby, took power by circumventing the Constitution, the international community largely supported this succession, notably France, the European Union, and the United States. Despite peace agreements and a national dialogue, the transition has been marked by electoral reports and violence, such as the repression of the October 2022 protests. The author criticizes the complacency of international partners in the face of this political dynasty and emphasizes the urgent need for increasing diplomatic pressure. The opposition and certain rebel groups remain excluded from the process, making true democratization unlikely.

Politics, State, Natural ressources, Security, Peace, Mediation, Election, Gold, Dialogue, Transition

The Multisectoral Surveillance Bulletin for the Timbuktu and Taoudénni regions (Mali) for October-November 2024 highlights several major concerns: floods that have destroyed irrigated agricultural areas, rising rice prices, and an unstable security situation with 78 incidents reported (+21.87% compared to the previous two-month period). The agricultural situation is marked by a delay in off-season crops due to flooding. Livestock farming is improving thanks to sufficient pastureland in Timbuktu, although less favorable in Taoudénni. Access to water for livestock is generally satisfactory. Fisheries production is declining due to rising water levels. Acute malnutrition remains a concern, particularly affecting children and requiring an urgent response. Displaced populations continue to increase due to conflict, reaching 42,785 in Timbuktu and 2,899 in Taoudénni.

Culture, State, Natural ressources, Education, Family, Gold, Health, Fishing, Marché, Malnutrition

Over the past three decades, participation in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa has grown at an accelerating pace. However, enrollment rates remain modest compared to other developing regions. This growth has not kept pace with population growth and pent-up demand for higher education. Data on participation by social or ethnic group are limited, making it difficult to assess the equitable distribution of this expansion. Studies indicate that the "massification" of higher education has not yet occurred in the region, with significant variations by gender, geography, and ethnicity. The diversification of higher education landscapes, marked by the elevation of often under-resourced public institutions to university status and the consolidation of a large and disparate private sector, raises questions about the quality of education. Accumulated student resistance to tuition fee increases or other reforms may reflect tensions between new groups seeking access to higher education as a means of social mobility and elites aiming to control the transformation of this sector to consolidate their ascendancy.

Governance, Inequality, Education, Politique publique

The article Learning Assessment in Sub-Saharan Africa by Pierre Varly, published by UNESCO-TALENT in 2020, analyzes the participation of African countries in international assessments of educational achievement. It highlights the low representation of sub-Saharan Africa in programs such as PISA and TIMSS, although some countries, such as Senegal and Zambia, take part in PISA-D (a version adapted for developing countries). The article highlights the major challenges of learning assessment, including the lack of institutional capacity and the low reliability of available data. It emphasizes the need to adapt these assessments to local realities to improve the quality of education systems in Africa.

Governance, Education, Politique publique

The study on traditional justice in the Sahel, carried out in two phases (2020 and 2022), analyzes the articulation between customary and state justice systems for better access to justice. It highlights the growing support of populations, including young people, for traditional justice, in the face of mistrust of formal justice, often perceived as inaccessible or inequitable. The study is based on a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, with a particular focus on the rights of women and children. The results show that customary systems, although legitimate in the eyes of the populations, have limitations, particularly in the protection of human rights. The study proposes a hybrid model integrating customary, religious, and formal justice to improve access to justice. Finally, it recommends the transcription of customary rules and awareness-raising on human rights to strengthen their complementarity with formal justice.

Gender, Natural ressources, Justice, Political Violence, Gold, Violence, Customs, Threat, Researh, Knowlege production

The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a statement titled "Humanitarian Emergency: Funding Shortfall Jeopardizes WFP Food Assistance for Millions in the Central Sahel and Nigeria" on March 7, 2025. The article emphasizes that, without urgent funding, WFP will be forced to suspend its essential food and nutrition assistance in critical regions such as the Central Sahel and Nigeria as early as April 2025. This comes as the lean season, a time when food insecurity is at its peak, approaches. This suspension will affect approximately 2 million people, including Sudanese refugees in Chad, Malian refugees in Mauritania, as well as internally displaced populations and vulnerable families in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. To maintain its assistance over the next six months, WFP urgently requires $620 million. Margot van der Velden, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, expressed concern about the reduction in international aid, calling on the global community to step up its support to prevent a worsening of the food crisis in these regions.

Governance, Food security, Cooperation, Politique publique

The article “On the Unborn Fulani: Slavery, Jihad, and Human Rights in Central Mali,” written by Gilles Holder, analyzes the persistence of power relations and descent-based slavery in the hybrid conflict in central Mali since 2015. It highlights the link between 18th- and 19th-century Fulani jihads, the creation of Islamic states based on a slave economy, and contemporary dynamics of social and political revolt. The article emphasizes that the emancipation of slave descendants remains limited by secular logics of land and economic domination by former Fulani aristocracies. It also explores how current jihadist demands integrate social aspirations for emancipation. Finally, it questions the effectiveness of human rights instruments in addressing these deep-rooted inequalities.

Politics, Political party, State, Natural ressources, Justice, Jihad, Terrorism, Gold, Social, Threat

This article analyzes the security crisis in central Mali, considered the epicenter of the Sahel crisis. Historically marked by tensions over resources and intercommunity relations, this territory has seen these conflicts worsen with the retreat of the state and the establishment of jihadist groups, notably Amadou Koufa's Katiba Macina. The 2013 military intervention brought only a temporary respite, and since 2015, the jihadists have strengthened their control, capitalizing on the state's weakness and popular discontent. The debate over the advisability of dialogue between the Malian authorities and the jihadists is complex: while it could lead to a reduction in violence, it also risks legitimizing these groups and exacerbating intercommunity tensions. The article highlights the need to rebuild the state and social cohesion to prevent these groups from establishing themselves as a political and social alternative.

Security, Jihad, Dialogue

The article "Are Poverty Reduction Strategies and Agricultural Policies Engaging in West and Central Africa?" by Abdou Salam Fall and Thiendou Niang, published by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in June 2005, analyzes the links between poverty reduction strategies (PRSs) and agricultural policies in West and Central Africa. The study examines their coherence, implementation, and the effectiveness of their coordination. PRSs often include agriculture among their priorities, but without real integration with existing agricultural policies. Furthermore, civil society participation in decision-making processes remains limited, resulting in a lack of influence on strategic directions. The article also highlights that structural inequalities (land reform, market access, trade policies) are not sufficiently taken into account. Finally, it recommends better policy coordination, increased participation of local stakeholders, and improved resource management to ensure more effective results.

State, Economic Development, Inequality, Education, Development, Food security, Poverty, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production