This article presents an overview of Africa’s migration trends as 2025 approaches. It highlights a sharp decline in irregular migration to Europe and the Arabian Peninsula due to stricter border control policies (notably in Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, and Mauritania). Meanwhile, informal intra-African migration is on the rise, driven mostly by economic reasons. West Africa, especially Mali, remains a key emigration zone due to political instability and high unemployment. Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya are leading destinations. The article also underscores increased risks faced by migrants (shipwrecks, trafficking, violence) and calls for regional policy innovation, stronger protection frameworks, and improved migration governance. It emphasizes the growing demographic pressure and highlights new responses, including regional free movement protocols, EU partnerships, and bilateral agreements aiming to link labor supply and demand across continents.

Migration, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Education, Development, Gold, Human security, Researh, EMPLOYMENT

The Pastoral Surveillance Bulletin for Northern Côte d'Ivoire (No. 2, Dec. 2024 – Jan. 2025) provides insights into pastoral dynamics in Bounkani and Tchologo regions. While pasture resources are generally sufficient, pressure has increased due to the influx of refugees, cross-border herd movements, and forced relocations. Livestock body condition is fair, with notable deterioration among large ruminants. Animal disease cases are rising. Farmer-herder conflicts and cattle thefts have intensified, alongside growing insecurity. Livestock prices remain low compared to cereals, weakening pastoralists' purchasing power. Despite market accessibility, the scarcity of fodder and veterinary services compounds vulnerabilities. The bulletin recommends improved coordination among state actors, NGOs, and local communities to support resilience, manage tensions, and protect livelihoods.

State, Livestock, Natural ressources, Security, Conflict, Education, Gold, Human security, Social, Researh

In her review of Guérir en Afrique. Promesses et transformations, Géraldine Vernerey-Kopp examines a collective volume edited by Alice Desclaux, Aïssa Diarra, and Sandrine Musso. The book investigates the concept of healing in various African settings through a multidisciplinary and constructivist lens. Spread over 14 chapters and four parts, the work explores healing as a therapeutic promise, a collective construction, an individual perception, and a global health issue. It highlights the complexities of medical pluralism, the interaction between biomedicine, traditional, and religious healing systems, and the challenge of defining “healing” in chronic or socially constructed illnesses. Although the notion of healing sometimes remains elusive, the book offers valuable insights to rethink healthcare systems and the role of local therapeutic knowledge in Africa and beyond.

Power, Natural ressources, Education, Gold, Social, Health, Customs, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production

Bréma Ely Dicko’s article traces the history of forced migration in Mali from the colonial era to the present. During colonization (1893–1960), forced labor, head taxes, and military conscription caused massive displacements. After independence, political repression, Tuareg rebellions, droughts, poverty, and institutional fragility intensified these movements. The 2012 security crisis marked a significant shift, leading to unprecedented internal displacements and refugee flows, further exacerbated by the 2020 and 2021 coups. Drawing on documentary research and interviews, the article highlights the complex drivers of forced migration in Mali and the limited capacity of state responses. It emphasizes the humanitarian consequences, long-term exile, and growing social tensions in a persistently unstable environment.

Politics, Political party, State, Migration, Natural ressources, Education, Gold, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production

The February–March 2025 pastoral surveillance bulletin highlights growing pastoral challenges in Senegal. Vegetation cover remains low in the north and south, with significant shortages in Saint-Louis, Louga, and Matam. While water resources are generally adequate, pasture conditions are poor in several areas. Livestock body conditions are mostly fair to good, but deteriorate in critical zones. Animal disease outbreaks, livestock mortality, and extensive bushfires—especially in Tambacounda—are reported. Markets remain accessible, yet livestock and cereal prices, particularly rice, are on the rise, increasing pastoralist vulnerability. Cases of theft and farmer-herder conflicts are also noted. The report urges strengthening resource governance, veterinary surveillance, fire prevention, and awareness on sustainable transhumance.

State, Pastoralism, Livestock, Natural ressources, Security, Education, Gold, Human security, Social, Researh

Food insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel stems from structural issues aggravated by conflict, political instability, climate shocks, and underinvestment in agriculture. In 2023, an estimated 86.5 million people face food insecurity, despite a regional cereal output of 76 million tons. A healthy diet remains unaffordable for most due to high food prices and poor dietary diversity. Current responses—such as PREGEC, the Harmonized Framework, school feeding programs, and cash transfers—are commendable but inadequate in scope. Efforts are needed to modernize agriculture, improve infrastructure, enhance regional cooperation, and diversify funding sources. Market dynamics, low use of improved inputs, and heavy reliance on imports hinder food sovereignty. The report advocates for systemic, integrated governance, support to local producers, and more resilient agricultural systems to ensure nutrition security and sustainable development.

Politics, Political party, Natural ressources, Security, Education, Food security, Gold, Human security, Soicial sciences, Researh

This Policy Brief analyzes how population displacements have accelerated urbanization in secondary cities across the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. These cities, already marked by infrastructural shortcomings, face mounting pressure on housing, land use, and basic services. The massive influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reshapes social dynamics, especially gender roles, with displaced women often becoming heads of households under precarious conditions. “Non-loti” areas—informal settlements—emerge as default reception zones despite lacking infrastructure. Displaced populations are sometimes viewed with suspicion and associated with security threats. The study urges moving beyond institutional categories and quantitative data, advocating for deeper exploration of “practical norms” that govern urban life. It calls for empirical research to guide inclusive urban planning and better integration of displaced communities in fragile Sahelian contexts.

Politics, Political party, Natural ressources, Education, Gold, Threat, Urbanisation, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production, Internally displaced persons

This study, conducted in Mali, Niger, and Togo, analyzes the sociocultural, economic, and legal determinants of child marriage (CM) and proposes empowering girls as a strategy to combat it. Despite national laws, traditional and religious norms, particularly Islam, favor the continuation of this practice. Child marriage is often perceived as a protection mechanism against out-of-wedlock pregnancies, a religious obligation, or an economic survival strategy. The low educational attainment of girls and poverty exacerbate the phenomenon. The research mobilized a multidisciplinary and mixed-methods approach, involving qualitative and quantitative surveys. The authors recommend greater involvement of community actors and a change in social norms. Empowering girls through education and economic skills is essential to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and domination.

Gender, Natural ressources, Political Violence, Education, Family, Gold, Threat, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production

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