Issue 34 of the Sahel Pastoral Surveillance Bulletin highlights an overall improvement in pastoral conditions across the region during August–September 2025. Pasture and water availability is generally satisfactory, contributing to good livestock body condition. However, significant spatial disparities remain, with some areas experiencing low vegetation cover while others face excess water and flooding risks. Livestock markets are mostly accessible, yet rising animal prices combined with fluctuating cereal prices continue to negatively affect terms of trade for pastoralists in several locations. From a health perspective, outbreaks of animal and human diseases have been reported, requiring increased monitoring. Security conditions remain fragile in parts of the region, marked by recurrent livestock theft and increased pressure on pastoral resources due to the presence of displaced and refugee populations.

State, Livestock, Natural ressources, Security, Education, Human security, Health, Information, Marché, water

The report demonstrates a sharp deterioration of Mali’s security situation since the military junta seized power in 2020. Violence by militant Islamist groups has surged and now covers every region, including areas close to Bamako. Maps throughout the report (pp. 1–4) show the rapid geographic expansion of attacks. In 2023, Mali is on track to exceed 1,000 violent events, nearly triple the level recorded when the junta took power. Focused on consolidating its rule, the junta alienated regional and international security partners and demanded the withdrawal of the 15,000-strong UN mission (MINUSMA), pushing northern Mali to the brink of renewed civil war. The arrival of Russia-linked Wagner forces has worsened abuses, with more than 320 human rights violations documented. In the center and south, FLM, JNIM, and ISGS have strengthened their operations. State authority is collapsing as civilians face escalating attacks, instability, and governance breakdown.

Political party, State, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Political Violence, Human security, Violence, Threat

The article examines why Senegal’s democracy endured despite a major institutional crisis surrounding the postponement of the 2024 presidential election. When President Macky Sall cancelled the February vote, citing institutional conflict, civil society, opposition actors, and the Constitutional Council played decisive roles in protecting the rule of law. Despite political pressure, the judiciary invalidated the postponement, demonstrating its independence. At the same time, broad civic mobilization—including activists, scholars, journalists, and religious groups—demanded adherence to the constitutional electoral timeline. This combination of judicial firmness and collective citizen action enabled the organization of the March 24 election and a peaceful transition to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The article argues that Senegal’s resilience stems from a long-standing tradition of civic engagement, institutional dialogue, and public defense of democratic checks and balances.

Politics, Political party, Power, State, Natural ressources, Justice, Election, Social, Medias

Africa is experiencing a historic surge in forced displacement, with 45.7 million people uprooted, representing 3% of the continent’s population . Conflict is the main driver, as 96% of displaced populations originate from countries affected by armed violence. Sudan has become the epicenter, recording 14.4 million forcibly displaced people, including 10 million internally displaced—the highest figure worldwide. Regional conflicts increasingly overlap: 8 of the 11 African countries hosting the most refugees are themselves in conflict, highlighting the interconnected crises of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Lake Chad Basin. Burkina Faso accounts for one of the largest internal displacement crises. Some fragile improvements appear in Ethiopia and the DRC due to returns in partially stabilized regions. Meanwhile, natural disasters—mainly floods—have increased forced displacement by 33%, adding 5.6 million new victims and compounding the vulnerability of populations already affected by conflict.

Natural ressources, Security, Conflict, Political Violence, Human security, Violence, Threat, Civil Society, Crisis, Déplacement forcé

According to the 13 October 2025 report, this study examines the political, social and technological dimensions of civil registration systems in Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, and Chad. It highlights civil registration as a core infrastructure of citizenship, enabling access to rights but also functioning as a mechanism of exclusion. The report details the “social life of documents,” showing how identity papers are used strategically, how administrative inequalities persist, and how bureaucratic violence at service counters reinforces marginalisation. It also warns against the politicisation of civil registry systems, especially when civil registration, nationality, and elections become entangled. The study analyses the rise of biometric technologies, which promise efficiency but create new vulnerabilities, including surveillance risks and technological dependency. Finally, it outlines reform pathways: depoliticising civil registration, expanding citizen access, increasing transparency, fostering universal inclusion, and strengthening digital sovereignty.

Politics, Political party, State, Governance, Natural ressources, Justice, Public Administration, Social, Inclusion, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), water, Biometrics, Identity

This Policy Brief examines Germany’s new budget orientations and their consequences for Mali, a country facing insecurity, conflict, climate shocks, displacement, and rising humanitarian needs. Germany is among Mali’s key financial partners through the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). However, from 2025 onward, significant budget cuts are expected, sharply reducing German contributions to the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). German aid currently supports essential sectors such as nutrition, health, water and sanitation, infrastructure, protection, displacement management, agriculture, and the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) nexus. Reductions in funding could exacerbate vulnerabilities, intensify population movements, and weaken local NGOs, which are central to service delivery and conflict mitigation. The brief offers recommendations to mitigate these impacts, improve coordination, promote aid localization, and strengthen community resilience.

State, Economic Development, Natural ressources, Education, Mediation, Social, Cooperation, Dialogue, Civil Society

The article examines the expansion of Jama’at Nasrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) into western and southern Mali, marked by seven coordinated attacks launched by the Macina Liberation Front (FLM) on July 1, 2025. These operations targeted Kayes and Nioro du Sahel—two strategic economic and religious hubs—opening a new front far from the group’s traditional strongholds in central and northern Mali. JNIM’s strategy aims to isolate Bamako by attacking key trade routes, fuel convoys, and industrial sites, causing shortages, rising prices, and severe disruption of commercial activity. Despite strengthened military checkpoints, ambushes continue, resulting in kidnappings, destroyed tankers, and population displacement toward Senegal and Mauritania. The FLM’s growing reach, combined with the junta’s increasing political repression and its break with international security partners, deepens Mali’s fragmentation and heightens risks for neighboring coastal states.

Politics, Political party, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Political Violence, Human security, Violence, Threat

The Pastoral Monitoring Bulletin for Niger (August–September 2025) highlights an overall positive outlook for herders. Favorable rainfall significantly improved pasture and water availability, resulting in good livestock body condition. Livestock prices rose while cereal prices declined, improving the terms of trade for pastoral households.

State, Livestock, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Education, Human security, Marché, water

The article “The Challenges of the Debate on the Decolonization of Global Health in Francophone Countries”, published in Santé Publique (Vol. 37, No. 1, 2025) by Valéry Ridde, Amandine Fillol, Fatoumata Hane, and Fati Kirakoya-Samadoulougou, examines the controversies surrounding decolonization within Francophone global health. The authors highlight the growing academic interest in this topic alongside persistent institutional resistance to questioning colonial power structures. They discuss epistemic injustices that marginalize non-Western knowledge and emphasize the need for reflexivity, relational responsibility, and cognitive justice. The editorial calls for transforming research practices, partnerships, and policies to authentically integrate Southern voices and knowledge systems, fostering more equitable and inclusive global health governance.

Natural ressources, Justice, Education, Social, Health, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production, Colonization