The report, "Humanitarian Protection in the Liptako-Gourma Region," is the result of research conducted between 2020 and 2022 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and their local partners. This study focuses on the Liptako-Gourma region, located on the border between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, an area marked by a continued deterioration in security since 2015. The main objective was to assess the effectiveness of humanitarian protection programs and their interaction with local protection systems. Based on qualitative and quantitative data collected in the North and Sahel regions of Burkina Faso, Mopti in Mali, and Tillabéri in Niger, the research highlighted the complementarity between humanitarian protection mechanisms and local structures. It highlights the importance of integrating traditional protection systems to strengthen the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions.

Security, Crisis, Protection

Pastoralism plays a vital role in West and Central Africa, contributing to food security and biodiversity conservation. However, this way of life is threatened by climate change, land degradation, and socio-political conflicts. Action Against Hunger (ACF) has implemented various initiatives to strengthen the resilience of pastoral communities, including improving access to water and pasture, promoting sustainable practices, and establishing early warning systems. Regional and national policies support pastoralism through infrastructure, regulations promoting transhumance, and climate adaptation programs. However, challenges persist, including agricultural expansion, land privatization, resource conflicts, and widespread insecurity. A coordinated approach and concerted action are needed to preserve this essential way of life.

Economic Development, Livestock, Climate change, Security, Conflict, Education, Development, Human security, Soicial sciences, 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

The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a statement titled "Humanitarian Emergency: Funding Shortfall Jeopardizes WFP Food Assistance for Millions in the Central Sahel and Nigeria" on March 7, 2025. The article emphasizes that, without urgent funding, WFP will be forced to suspend its essential food and nutrition assistance in critical regions such as the Central Sahel and Nigeria as early as April 2025. This comes as the lean season, a time when food insecurity is at its peak, approaches. This suspension will affect approximately 2 million people, including Sudanese refugees in Chad, Malian refugees in Mauritania, as well as internally displaced populations and vulnerable families in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. To maintain its assistance over the next six months, WFP urgently requires $620 million. Margot van der Velden, WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, expressed concern about the reduction in international aid, calling on the global community to step up its support to prevent a worsening of the food crisis in these regions.

Governance, Food security, Cooperation, Politique publique

The article “On the Unborn Fulani: Slavery, Jihad, and Human Rights in Central Mali,” written by Gilles Holder, analyzes the persistence of power relations and descent-based slavery in the hybrid conflict in central Mali since 2015. It highlights the link between 18th- and 19th-century Fulani jihads, the creation of Islamic states based on a slave economy, and contemporary dynamics of social and political revolt. The article emphasizes that the emancipation of slave descendants remains limited by secular logics of land and economic domination by former Fulani aristocracies. It also explores how current jihadist demands integrate social aspirations for emancipation. Finally, it questions the effectiveness of human rights instruments in addressing these deep-rooted inequalities.

Politics, Political party, State, Natural ressources, Justice, Jihad, Terrorism, Gold, Social, Threat

The article "Are Poverty Reduction Strategies and Agricultural Policies Engaging in West and Central Africa?" by Abdou Salam Fall and Thiendou Niang, published by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in June 2005, analyzes the links between poverty reduction strategies (PRSs) and agricultural policies in West and Central Africa. The study examines their coherence, implementation, and the effectiveness of their coordination. PRSs often include agriculture among their priorities, but without real integration with existing agricultural policies. Furthermore, civil society participation in decision-making processes remains limited, resulting in a lack of influence on strategic directions. The article also highlights that structural inequalities (land reform, market access, trade policies) are not sufficiently taken into account. Finally, it recommends better policy coordination, increased participation of local stakeholders, and improved resource management to ensure more effective results.

State, Economic Development, Inequality, Education, Development, Food security, Poverty, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production

This Policy Brief, written by Abdoul Sogodogo, analyzes the relationship between the Alliance of Sahel States (ESA) and ECOWAS. It highlights the tensions between these entities, emphasizing the perception of the ESA as a response to ECOWAS's perceived ineffectiveness in security matters. The author explores the history of subregional organizations and the motivations of Sahel states to create a specific alliance, particularly in the face of the terrorist threat. The document also discusses the security, diplomatic, and economic implications of this separation, while examining the prospects for collaboration. Although the exit of the ESA countries from ECOWAS seems inevitable, economic and security interdependence requires cooperation. The brief concludes that ECOWAS and the ESA must find collaborative mechanisms to ensure regional stability.

Politics, Political party, Power, State, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Gold, Human security, Cooperation

The article analyzes the adoption and adaptation of the CMAM Surge model in Niger. Introduced in 2014, this model aims to improve the health system's response to malnutrition cases. Although deployed in 434 health facilities, its application remains heterogeneous. The study identifies the major challenges of its implementation: lack of knowledge of the program by health workers, poor training, coordination problems with NGOs and lack of resources. The Surge approach, initially designed to manage malnutrition crises, encounters difficulties in sustainable integration. Some local reform actors are more successful in adapting it, by involving communities more and developing alternative strategies. The article offers a critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the model and explores ways to strengthen its appropriation and impact.

Natural ressources, Justice, Education, Gold, Health, Civil Society, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production, Malnutrition

The article "Jihadist insurrection and illicit economies around W Park (Benin)" by Aziz Mossi and N'koué Emmanuel Sambieni explores the rise of jihadism in northern Benin and its link with illicit economies. It highlights the social and economic factors that lead to this insecurity, including youth unemployment, the marginalization of pastoral communities and the precariousness of security services. Armed groups exploit these vulnerabilities to establish themselves and finance their activities through trafficking in livestock, gold, medicines and fuel. W Park serves as a strategic refuge, offering jihadists a fertile ground for training and clandestine trade. The authors also analyze the reaction of the Beninese authorities, marked by increasing militarization and attempts to control sensitive areas. The study highlights the need for an integrated approach, combining socio-economic development and strengthening security.

Politics, Political party, Natural ressources, Security, Education, Gold, Human security, Social, Researh, Knowlege production