The report describes a structured child-trafficking system moving children from Guinea-Bissau to Senegal, where they are forced to beg under the guise of religious education. Historically, talibés travelled to Senegal to study the Qur’an, supported by community almsgiving. However, since the 1970s, poverty, drought, and urban migration have turned this tradition into widespread exploitation. Marabouts now recruit children from vulnerable families—often through deception—and smuggle them across porous borders. Once in Senegal, children live in overcrowded, unsafe shelters and must deliver daily quotas of money. Forced begging has become a profitable criminal activity, linked to money laundering through the cashew and charcoal trade. While Senegal and Guinea-Bissau have ratified international conventions and adopted anti-trafficking laws, enforcement remains weak due to limited resources, strong cultural tolerance, and well-organized trafficking networks.

Security, Poverty, Human Rights, Vulnerability, Insécurité, Enfant, Trafic

The article outlines findings from the ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index 2023, highlighting rising illicit activity and growing vulnerabilities across Africa. It emphasizes that Guinea-Bissau has become a key hub for arms and cocaine trafficking, acting both as a source and transit country. Light weapons — often concentrated in the capital and border areas — flow through Guinea-Bissau into conflict zones in the Sahel and West Africa. Meanwhile, the country serves as a major transshipment point for South American cocaine destined for European markets. These illicit flows empower criminal and extremist groups, weaken institutional capacity, and increase the risk of violence and instability. The article warns of the urgent need for improved regional coordination and strengthened state resilience to tackle organized crime.

Governance, Security, Vulnerability, Institution, Trafic de drogue

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, Gold, Human security, Violence, Threat, Civil Society, Crisis, Déplacement forcé

As of March 2022, only about 1% of Chad’s population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and no prior data existed on vaccine hesitancy in the country. This cross-sectional study in N’Djamena (August–October 2021) surveyed 508 adults—patients, community members and healthcare workers—using a 25-item questionnaire and an adapted WHO SAGE Vaccine Hesitancy Scale. Overall, 52% said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, with higher acceptance among patients (67%) than community members (44%) and healthcare workers (47%). The mean hesitancy score was 29/50, and more than one-third of respondents were classified as highly hesitant. Knowing someone who died from COVID-19, trusting the government, perceiving local healthcare worker support, having comorbidities and higher socioeconomic status (electricity at home) were all associated with lower hesitancy. Main concerns focused on side effects, efficacy, safety, the pharmaceutical industry and distrust of government. Qualitative analysis highlighted four themes: information, trust, clinical concerns, and misinformation/false beliefs.

Governance, Security, Poverty, Health

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, Gold, 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, Gold, Human security, Violence, Threat

The article examines the evolution of assisted deliveries in community health centres (CsCOM) in the Malian districts of Mopti and Bandiagara amid rising insecurity. Using a mixed-methods design combining spatial analyses, health centre performance indicators, and qualitative interviews, the study highlights strong territorial disparities. While most communes show declining or stagnant assisted delivery rates, some centres located near areas of violence experience increasing numbers. This paradox is explained by large-scale population displacement toward perceived safer areas hosting better-performing health centres, often supported by NGOs providing free maternal care and awareness campaigns. Conversely, remote centres show reduced utilisation due to the departure of qualified staff, reduced household income, and fear of travelling during insecurity. The findings demonstrate that conflict does not affect all services or territories equally and emphasise the need for fine-scale analyses to accurately assess how insecurity shapes maternal healthcare utilisation.

Security, Conflict, Political Violence, Education, Human security, Threat, Soicial sciences, Researh, Knowlege production, EMPLOYMENT

Nearly 25 million Nigerians – including some 6 million children under five – are at high risk of facing severe food insecurity between June and August 2023 unless urgent measures are taken. According to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonisé, this represents a significant increase from the 17 million people already threatened. The main drivers include ongoing armed conflicts (notably in the northeast), climate change, inflation and rising food prices. Extensive floods in the 2022 rainy season damaged more than 676,000 ha of farmland, further undermining food access. In the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY), and in the north-west region (Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto), displaced and returning populations are particularly vulnerable. The article calls for immediate support to prevent a dramatic worsening of hunger.

Climate change, Conflict, Enfant, Food insecurity

The article examines the effectiveness of defense and security forces in the Sahel and West Africa amid the rise of terrorist groups. Since the 1990s, structural weaknesses—poor equipment, limited training, and lack of modernization—have undermined national armies’ ability to confront asymmetric threats. Armed groups exploit these vulnerabilities, relying on insurgent and guerrilla tactics that outperform conventional military approaches. The document highlights varied national situations: the fragility of Mali and Burkina Faso, the relative preparedness of Niger, and Mauritania’s successful military reforms. It also emphasizes the shortcomings of foreign operations and the operational limitations of the G5 Sahel Joint Force. The article recommends strengthening military capacities, adopting counter-insurgency doctrines, enhancing cooperation with local communities, improving regional coordination, and investing in intelligence and surveillance.

Governance, Security, Terrorism, Coopération régionale