The Danish Refugee Council’s article “Education under attack in West and Central Africa highlights the devastating impact of conflict on education in the region. By the end of the 2021-2022 school year, more than 12,400 schools were closed in eight countries, mainly due to attacks by non-state armed groups, teachers fleeing or parents being afraid to send their children to school. This is jeopardizing the future of entire generations of children, depriving them of access to learning and exposing them to compounding risks such as early marriage, child labour and recruitment by armed groups. Despite the adoption of the Safe Schools Declaration by most countries in the region, persistent attacks underscore the need for concrete measures to protect education. The report recommends holistic and multi-sectoral approaches, strengthening alternative learning solutions and increasing funding for education in emergencies.

Governance, Security, Education

The article highlights the active engagement of women and youth in the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal, in the fight against the reduction of civic spaces. Historically marginalized from political power, these groups vigorously oppose repression and blockages of political transitions, demanding governance aligned with their aspirations. Citizen movements such as Balai Citoyen in Burkina Faso, the Mouvement du 5 juin (M5) in Mali, Y'en a marre in Senegal, and others, illustrate this dynamic. Their mastery of information technologies and social networks strengthens their mobilization, as evidenced by the hashtag "Free Senegal" during the riots of March 2021. These initiatives aim to promote democracy, peace, development and the fight against corruption, while denouncing political excesses and proposing solutions to social problems.

Governance, Youth, Women

The study commissioned by the Gorée Institute aims to analyze the civic space related to children's rights in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Senegal. Its main objective is to produce a barometer assessing the current situation, in order to determine the need for effective, evidence-based advocacy to influence policies, legal frameworks and practices in the protection of children's rights in these countries. The process involved several steps, including the establishment of indicators validated by the parties involved, the development of quantitative and qualitative statistical data collection tools, followed by an analysis focused on children's rights.

Human Rights, Enfant

The article highlights the urgency of establishing inclusive development in the Sahel and West Africa to counter the growing destabilization of the region. The author, drawing on her humanitarian experience, highlights local initiatives led by authorities, community leaders, women's and youth associations, particularly in the areas of education and training. However, she deplores the fact that current political decisions neglect the needs of vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, thus exacerbating their precariousness. She calls for collective mobilization to build productive, supportive and dignified African societies, rather than constantly recovering from repeated crises.

Education, Development, Women, Vulnerability

The Royal Atlantic Initiative, announced by King Mohammed VI on November 6, 2023, aims to provide landlocked Sahelian countries—Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad—with access to the Atlantic Ocean via the port of Dakhla. This project allows Morocco to strengthen its sovereignty over Western Sahara, while offering Sahelian states an economic alternative to their isolation, which has been accentuated by ECOWAS sanctions following coups d’état. However, logistical and territorial challenges remain, including the lack of common borders between Morocco and these countries, requiring the cooperation of Mauritania, which remains cautious about its involvement.

Sovereignty, Governance

This communication aims to analyze the cross-border migrations of women traders in sub-Saharan Africa. To carry out this study, we used a qualitative methodology comprising a semi-structured interview guide addressed to a number of 42 people, with 6 respondents per country. The approaches that are: historical, informality, comprehensive of Max Weber and the comparative method of Durkheim Émile were used for theoretical illumination. It follows from this study that cross-border migrations of women traders constitute a survival strategy and a fight against unemployment. In addition, they weaken the macroeconomy by promoting the flourishing of the informal economy. Thus, they allow the greatest number of vulnerable households to survive.

Political party, Migration, Boundary, Gender, Natural ressources, Education, Gold, Women, Trade, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) paper highlights increasing attacks on education in the Central Sahel, including in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, between 2015 and 2019. These attacks, often perpetrated by armed groups opposed to French-language education, include the burning and looting of schools, as well as threats, kidnappings, or killings of teachers. State and non-state forces have also used schools for military purposes, exacerbating insecurity. GCPEA recommends measures to protect education, such as implementing the Safe Schools Declaration, prosecuting those responsible for attacks, and implementing education programs that are tailored to local contexts.

Governance, Education, Military activity, Protection

The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) article, published in September 2020, highlights attacks on education in the Central Sahel, including in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Between 2015 and 2019, more than 430 incidents were recorded, including burning and looting of schools, as well as threats, kidnappings, or killings of teachers. These violences are mainly perpetrated by armed groups opposed to state education in French, such as the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and Ansarul Islam. State and non-state forces have also used schools for military purposes. Despite school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 90 attacks were reported between January and July 2020, suggesting that violence continued at a similar rate to the previous year.

Security, Education, Groupes armés non étatiques

In this op-ed published on March 15, 2023, Jean‑Pierre Olivier de Sardan questions the effectiveness of security strategies in the Sahel. Jihadism is spreading not only in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, but also into northern regions of coastal countries like Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire . Where state authority has collapsed, jihadist groups have imposed a “de facto government” based on extortion, propaganda, and terror. He notes that military responses, including Operation Barkhane, have failed to halts their expansion . Instead, he advocates for a comprehensive approach: strengthening public services, restoring a protective state, offering alternatives for jihadist defectors, engaging in negotiations with moderate insurgents, and supporting rural development and humanitarian aid. The core argument stresses the need for people‑centered security rather than a standalone military focus.

Governance, Security, Jihad, Services publics