Publications

In a Sahel region beset by major security challenges, Niger seemed to have become the new preferred partner of the Western powers in the fight against violent extremist groups and international organised crime. But the coup d'état perpetrated by the military grouped around the Cadre National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (CNSP) on 26 July 2023 against President Mohamed BAZOUM opened up a new era of uncertainty both in Niger and in the future of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.

In view of the transnational and hybrid nature of the threats and challenges to security and stability in the Sahel and their rapid regional expansion, the Peace and Security Competence Centre Sub-Saharan Africa of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES PSCC) Dakar organised the 4th regional conference Sahel-Sahara Dialogue from 20 to 21 March 2023 in Niamey (Niger) on the theme "The Sahel and contemporary geopolitical issues and changes : what prospects for the region? This report summarises the proceedings and the recommendations made.

ECOWAS has set up mechanisms to promote democracy and strengthen collective security within its borders. These mechanisms have produced mixed results since their creation at the end of the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The military coups that have taken place in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger over the last three years have shown the limits of these mechanisms and the need to review them in order to adapt them to the ever changing political, security and geopolitical context in West Africa.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been facing an unprecedented security crisis. The two successive coups of 2022 have aggravated political and security instability. Under the regime of President Traoré, Burkina Faso opted for strategic autonomy in the fight against terrorism. This desire for strategic autonomy is manifested by a massive recruitment of volunteers from the country and the massive acquisition of military equipment.

The G5-Sahel’s four remaining member states are faced with the challenge of proving the effectiveness of the operation within the context of the region’s unprecedented security and humanitarian challenges. Terrorism and illicit activities continue to spread, as basic needs of the populations remain unmet. Local, international and private military actors within the region present the organization with a further unique security situation. This policy paper analyses the root of the G5-Sahel’s ineffectiveness and explores the wide range of recommendations for the challenges that the region faces.

Since 2015, the countries bordering the Lake Chad Basin have been attempting to provide a military response to Boko Haram, which has taken a high human and economic toll in this territory inhabited by citizens of four different countries. The emergence of terrorism in this part of the continent is solely the consequence of the failure of the governments, which have not provided infrastructure, even less basic social services.

The security crisis that began in 2015 in Burkina Faso confronts the country with multidimensional challenges, including communal conflicts, terrorist attacks and transnational organized crime. It has a considerable impact on women and children who represent more than 80% of internally displaced persons. In addition, the impact of the crisis on social cohesion is perceptible and makes it difficult to build peace.

Climate change is altering security landscapes around the world. West Africa is experiencing climate change at ratesfaster than the global average. Climate change is also interacting with regional political tensions, violent conflicts and complex humanitarian emergencies. As changing climateconditions impact natural resource availability, biodiversityand agricultural productivity, low levels of resilience are magnifying the human security implications of climate change in West Africa. In the next 10-20 years, unprecedented changes in temperatures and precipitation are projected in the region. Simultaneously, violent conflicts are escalating and spreading, as more and more countries witness spill-over effects.

This training handbook for media professionals was developed within the framework of the regional 3-year “Security for All” project, co-financed by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the European Union. The project, whose target countries are Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria, aims to contribute to actions and to establishing institutions, to ensure that the security mission (at the local, national and regional levels) is more responsive to the needs of the population as well as being more accountable and more equitable. Civil society participation in the security sector reform and governance processes needs to be increased by empowering civil society actors and involving them in the dialogue taking place among all security sector actors. Civil society organizations must inform decision-making processes and contribute to setting agendas, monitoring public action, and public debate on the reform of the security…

Pour promouvoir la participation des chercheurs universitaires dans la dynamique de réflexion pour une paix et une stabilité durables dans la sous-région sénégambienne, le bureau Paix et Sécurité Centre de Compétence Afrique Subsaharienne de la Fondation Friedrich Ebert de Dakar (FES PSCC) a organisé du 14 au 15 Juillet 2022 à Ziguinchor la Conférence sous-régionale pour une meilleure implication des acteurs universitaires à la sécurité collective : cas des universités de Gambie, de Guinée-Bissau et du Sénégal dont les résultats des travaux et les recommandations se trouvent consignés dans le présent rapport.