The OCHA report of March 2024 highlights the complexity of the humanitarian situation in Chad, exacerbated by structural crises, climate shocks and the massive influx of refugees fleeing the Sudanese conflict since April 2023. These factors seriously disrupt the provision of essential social services, particularly in the east of the country, and compromise development efforts. Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world, hosts more than a million refugees, placing it among the seven countries receiving the most. Inter- and intra-community conflicts, as well as the presence of non-state armed groups, lead to forced displacement of populations, particularly in the provinces of Logone Occidental and Lac. Food insecurity affects nearly 40% of households, with particularly high rates in the Sahelian and Saharan zones. The nutritional situation is worrying, aggravated by limited access to drinking water and health services. The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan aims to provide emergency assistance to 4 million people, improve access to social services for 3.6 million people and strengthen the resilience of 4.6 million people, with a total budget of US$1.14 billion.

Security, Conflict, refugee, Crise humanitaire

Burkina Faso is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, marked by growing insecurity and massive population displacement. In 2018, attacks by armed groups, particularly in the Sahel, Centre-North, East and North regions, forced more than two million people to flee their homes, seeking refuge in safer areas. This situation exacerbates tensions between communities, particularly between herders and farmers, and puts additional pressure on natural resources already weakened by climate change. Basic infrastructure, such as health centres and schools, are often targeted, limiting access to essential services for displaced populations. Despite the efforts of the authorities and humanitarian organisations, assistance remains insufficient given the scale of the needs, and insecurity hinders access to some affected areas.

Governance, Agriculture, Livestock, Security, Violence, Crisis, Déplacement forcé

The 2023 Sectoral Review of the Ministry of Health of Mauritania reports on progress towards universal health coverage, in line with the National Health Development Plan (PNDS) 2022-2030. It highlights advances in human resources, infrastructure, equipment and health financing, with activities such as capacity building of personnel and construction of health structures. However, challenges persist, particularly in terms of availability of medicines and governance of the health system. The review recommends better coordination with technical and financial partners, improvement of monitoring mechanisms and optimization of the use of data for decision-making. The outlook includes continued efforts to strengthen the health system and achieve the objectives of the PNDS, with an emphasis on the effectiveness of interventions and the mobilization of necessary resources.

Governance, Health, Couverture sanitaire

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) 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

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

Food policies in West Africa oscillate between responding to risks and acting as a factor of insecurity. Since the 1960s, regulatory frameworks have evolved, but concrete results remain limited. These policies, influenced by complex political and economic dynamics, struggle to reconcile the divergent interests of stakeholders (consumers, producers, traders). The State plays a central but weakened role in regulating tensions between formal and informal, legal and illegal categories. Food policies often lack clear priorities and public consensus, despite the recent harmonization of strategic frameworks. They are often relegated by better-defined agricultural and health policies.

Politics, State, Agriculture, Livestock, Food security

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

The article “Terrorism in the Sahel: the Mauritanian exception” looks at the reasons why Mauritania has not experienced jihadist attacks since 2011, unlike its Sahelian neighbors. This exceptional situation is the result of a multidimensional and pragmatic strategy, adapted to the specificities of the Sahel and to the war in the desert. Under the leadership of General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, the army underwent a major overhaul, with a substantial increase in the military budget, leading to the creation of Special Intervention Groups (GSI). These elite, light and mobile units are designed to operate autonomously in the desert. In addition, Mauritania has established fixed checkpoints on cross-border roads and has designated certain desert areas as “military zones.” This approach, combining military modernization and adaptation to local realities, has allowed the country to regain control of its territory and serve as an example in the fight against jihadist movements in the Sahel.

Security, Jihad, Terrorism