Report of the assessment mission on the impact of the Libyan crisis on the Sahel region, 7 to 23 December 2011
By UN Secretary General, January 2012.
Governments in the Sahel are facing unique security challenges as a result of the fallout from the post-Qadhafi transition in neighboring Libya. An influx of hundreds of thousands of impoverished returnees and unquantifiable arms and weaponry from the former Libyan regime’s arsenals as well as an impending food security crisis are exacerbating tenuous security, political, social, and economic situations across the region. Regional governments and international partners must move to foster dialogue with rural communities amid emerging local rebellions, contain a surge in arms trafficking, and prevent the recruitment of unemployed youth and returnees by well funded violent groups.
Download the article: [PDF]Insurrections, kidnappings and instability: Security dynamics in the Sahara/Sahel in the wake of the Libyan uprising
By Maplecroft, February 2012.
Ineffective governance, inadequate security measures and the outflow of arms from post-Qadhafi Libya are contributing to lawlessness, smuggling, kidnapping, and terrorism in the Sahel. The influx of weapons into northern Mali is fueling and will sustain the newly formed National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA) rebellion, whose operations have displaced tens of thousands into neighboring countries and is having a broadly destabilizing impact in the Sahel. Meanwhile, national governments in the region have been unable to overcome complex and contradictory aims to collaborate effectively to address these new challenges.
Download the article: [PDF]Regional Security Cooperation in the Maghreb and Sahel: Algeria’s Pivotal Ambivalence
By Laurence Aïda Ammour. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, February 2012.Despite growing concerns across the Sahel and Maghreb over the increasing potency of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the diffusion of heavily armed mercenaries from Libya, the expanding influence of arms and drugs trafficking, and the widening lethality of Boko Haram, regional security cooperation to address these transnational threats remains fragmented.
Algeria is well-positioned to play a central role in defining this cooperation, but must first reconcile the complex domestic, regional, and international considerations that shape its decision-making.
Download the Brief in: [ENGLISH][FRANÇAIS][PORTUGUESE]Understanding Natural Resource Conflict Dynamics: The Case of the Tuareg in North Africa and the Sahel
By Muna A. Abdalla. Institute for Security Studies, August 2009.
Migration, extractive industry investments, and disputes over land tenure have for decades complicated dynamics within Tuareg communities and their relations with governments in the Sahel. As this region undergoes immense changes and many Tuaregs once again move across borders, conflicts are reemerging. Initiatives that integrate Tuareg concerns over land and livelihood opportunities through inclusive political engagement will be necessary to address these recurring regional conflict drivers.
Download the Article: [PDF]Sifting Through the Layers of Insecurity in the Sahel: The Case of Mauritania
By Cédric Jourde. Africa Center for Strategic Studies, September 2011.
Increasing narcotraffic and a more active AQIM are elevating concerns over instability in the Sahel. However, the region’s threats are more complex than what is observable on the surface. Rather, security concerns are typically characterized by multiple, competing, and fluctuating interests at the local, national, and regional levels. Effectively responding to these threats requires in-depth understanding of the multiple contextual layers in which illicit actors operate.
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West Africa’s Growing Terrorist Threat: Confronting AQIM’s Sahelian Strategy
By Modibo Goïta, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2011Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has undertaken increasingly frequent and effective attacks in the past year, posing a dangerous and growing threat in Africa's Sahel region. Reversing this trend presents a particularly complex challenge as AQIM has simultaneously strengthened ties to local communities and regional criminal networks. Efforts to counter AQIM will require collaborative region-wide strategies that feature complementary security and development initiatives.
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