The situation in the Sahel must be taken into account, and the efforts and attention of surrounding countries whose interests are linked must be concentrated, whether in the Maghreb or in Europe. The current crisis in this region, which has gone unnoticed because of wars in other parts of the world, is a threat to the international environment, and above all to the security and sovereignty of African states. For the Maghreb, the security and sovereignty of the Sahel must be a priority, stresses one expert.
Because of the terrorist threat and the security that eludes the powers of several Sahel countries, the region is clearly heading towards deconstruction and balkanization, which poses a real threat to the stability of neighboring states, namely those of the Maghreb.
As a high-risk security region, the Sahel has been living for over ten years to the rhythm of political instability, coups d’état, various forms of trafficking, including of migrants, and civil and tribal wars, undermining the credibility of public institutions and central government in controlling its internal environment.
Unchecked, terrorist networks are proliferating in war-torn countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan and Libya. “Living with, or rather under the constraints of, entrenched and expanding terrorism is devastating for populations and destructive for states”, says Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, President of the Centre for Strategy and Security in the Sahel-Sahara and member of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Dialogue Initiatives (ICDI).
The expert sees in the Sahel crisis an “ongoing deconstruction of states” that seems irreversible, citing the cases of Libya and Sudan as “not encouraging examples”. Pointing out that the current international environment is entirely dominated by two major conflicts, that of Ukraine and that between Israelis and Palestinians, and leaves little room for the Sahel, he stresses that the spread of violence in the Sahel does nothing for peace.
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah believes that the situation of insecurity in the Sahel has become entrenched and structural, while posing a formidable challenge to the region’s neighbors and external partners.
“Today, more than in the past, the Sahel is becoming inseparable from vast migratory movements, various forms of trafficking, particularly drug trafficking and money laundering. Trafficking that also feeds terrorism and confirms corruption”, he points out, adding that terrorists remain complex, hybrid, transnational and ever-expanding forces.
According to him, external interventions, “even if less effective than desired, remain indispensable demonstrations of solidarity and deterrence in the face of armed groups, often more financially than religiously motivated”, adding that cooperation between Sahel states and their Maghreb neighbors “should be more beneficial for all”.
On the subject of migration, the President of the Centre for Strategy and Security in the Sahel-Sahara, believes that the three blocs – Europe, the Maghreb and the Sahel – should, if they are unable to contain migratory movements, manage them better between the three regions and stop them being denied.
Finally, on the domestic front, he proposes that Sahel governments review their management of the wars their countries have been enduring for over a decade. “On the domestic front, efforts to make governments more respectable are a priority,” he says, pointing to the need to set up communication facilities, and to reduce tribalist ideas in state management.
