The ILO report examines the role of decent work in fostering peace and resilience in the Sahel, aligning with the G5 Sahel's Integrated Priority Action Framework (CAPI). It highlights major challenges, such as inequalities, competition over natural resources, and weak state functions fueling conflicts. The ILO approach offers solutions based on decent job creation, social dialogue, and inclusive local governance. Recommendations include leveraging local resources, supporting essential infrastructure, and implementing programs promoting social cohesion and crisis resilience. This report contributes to sustainable development and peacebuilding efforts.

Natural ressources, Security, Peace, Justice, Education, Mediation, Gold, Social, Dialogue, EMPLOYMENT

Jabir Touré's article, published in the Revue internationale des francophonies, examines the efforts of French-speaking Sahel countries in combating terrorism, focusing on the G5 Sahel. Established in 2014 by Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad, the G5 Sahel is an intergovernmental organization aiming to enhance security and development in the region. Despite international support, notably from France through Operation Barkhane, and the creation of Task Force Takuba in 2020, the G5 Sahel joint force struggles to reach full operational capacity. Terrorist groups like the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) have expanded their influence, making 2019 particularly deadly. However, since the Pau Summit in January 2020, improved coordination between national forces and their partners has partially reversed the balance of power on the ground.

Politics, Political party, State, Natural ressources, Peace, Justice, Conflict, Jihad, Terrorism, Gold

This article explores the evolution and impact of terrorism in Africa, highlighting its recent mutations and its adaptation to political and geopolitical contexts. It highlights the rise of radical Islamist groups such as Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, AQIM, and their common goals of establishing Islamic regimes based on Sharia law. The fragmentation of states, the inability to control vast and under-administered territories, as well as external influences such as the ideology of Daesh, maintain the expansion of these groups. Key areas, including the Sahel, Sinai and East Africa, are identified as major hotbeds of terrorist activity. The article stresses the urgency of a coordinated and adapted response to counter this growing threat and stabilize the continent.

Politics, Political party, Natural ressources, Security, Jihad, Terrorism, Gold, Human security, Violence, Threat

The article explores the geopolitics of terrorism in Africa, analyzing the challenges and responses proposed by African states and their international partners. It highlighted the rapid adaptation of terrorist groups such as AQIM, MUJAO and Boko Haram, faced with often ineffective strategies. Initiatives such as the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) are struggling to gain traction due to problems of coordination, financing and foreign influences that prioritize their strategic interests. Better governance, enhanced cooperation and comprehensive approaches are essential to counter the rise of terrorism, as is the fight against its financing and support. The article calls for a melting down of African armies and the establishment of multidimensional strategies, integrating the ideological, educational and economic aspects.

Politics, Political party, State, Natural ressources, Security, Jihad, Terrorism, Gold, Human security, Threat

The UNODC report of January 2023 highlights the trafficking of medical products in the Sahel, including falsified, substandard and unauthorized medicines. Between January 2017 and December 2021, more than 605 tons of these products were seized during international police operations. The investigation reveals the involvement of various actors, including employees of pharmaceutical companies, civil servants, law enforcement officers, members of health agencies and street vendors, all motivated by financial gain. This trafficking seriously compromises public health and security in the region.

Security, Trafic, Santé publique, Médicament

The article highlights the need for an integrated approach combining security and development to stabilize the Sahel, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. It highlights the region's growth potential, threatened by growing insecurity and a rapidly expanding population. Experts reject pessimistic outlooks, arguing that investments in peace and development would be cheaper than managing the consequences of a protracted crisis. They call for collaboration between researchers, diplomats, the military, humanitarians and development actors to define effective responses. The article also highlights the changing patterns of violence in West Africa, with the emergence of electoral conflicts, armed insurgencies and banditry, often linked to drug trafficking, arms trafficking and religious extremism.

Governance, Economic Development, Security, Development

The article highlights the ineffectiveness of purely security-based responses to the crisis in the Sahel. Despite ECOWAS’s adoption of a $1 billion plan to strengthen the armed forces, the security and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, particularly in the Liptako-Gourma and Lake Chad Basin regions. The root causes of insecurity are attributed to the marginalization of communities, poor governance, and the effects of climate change. The article advocates for a political approach that includes dialogue with local communities, improved governance, access to fair justice, and consideration of climate issues, in order to achieve lasting peace.

Security, Peace, Conflict, Cooperation

Amnesty International’s 2021 article, “I have nothing left, except myself,” examines the growing impact of conflict on children in the Tillabéri region of Niger. Violence by armed groups, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), has led to the closure of many schools, depriving children of their right to education. Children are also exposed to psychological trauma due to violent attacks, forced displacement, and food insecurity. The report highlights the urgent need for the Nigerien authorities and the international community to protect children’s rights, ensure their access to education, and provide adequate psychosocial support.

Security, Conflict, Poverty

The unpublished report from the Tombouctou Institute, coordinated by researcher Lassina Diarra, examines radicalization and the perception of the terrorist threat in the Bounkani region, located in the far north of Côte d'Ivoire. This study highlights the weak signals and multiple factors of growing radicalization, which is particularly worrying in the context of the advance of terrorist groups towards coastal countries. The data collected indicate that this region is already experiencing the effects of the regionalization of the threat, illustrated by the attacks in Grand-Bassam in 2016. The proximity to countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as migration from Niger, accentuate Côte d'Ivoire's vulnerabilities. Faced with this situation, the Ivorian government has undertaken to redefine its security policy and territorial administration to counter this growing threat.

Jihad, Terrorism, Vulnerability, Violence, Threat