Sahel should be seen as region of 'opportunity' despite 'multiple crises'

• Published date: 28 May 2022
• Publication title: Africa Newswire

28 MAY 2022 (UN News Service) The Sahel region of Africa should be considered a region of opportunity. despite the "multiple crises" that people there are enduring; that's according to Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel.

The Sahel is a vast under-populated region stretching across Africa from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, an area which is being destabilized by terrorism-related conflict, the effects of climate change and a lack of development.

UN News spoke to Mr. Annadif about the solutions to the problems the region faces.

What is the historical context of the Sahel region?

The people who live in the Sahel are far from the centres of decision-making of the countries that make up the region and so they live on the margins. But they are resilient and self-sufficient, living from commerce and nomadic farming.

Following political turmoil in Libya and before that, in Afghanistan, this region has become a sanctuary for terrorist groups who use religion to incite hatred. This is not Islam, it's a corrupted form of Islam that these groups want to spread to serve their plans, taking advantage of the fact that most of the people in the Sahel are very sensitive to religious issues.

Because of lack of basic services, and infrastructure, some people can be tempted to adhere to the discourse of these groups, who, in some situations play the role of the State by offering services like education, health and justice.

Can you describe the situation today?

Today, the Sahel has been infested with terrorists. With the fall of Libya's Gaddafi, the region has become an open arsenal, where arms circulate like bread; anyone can get hold of a weapon, and this provokes violence.

The region is also suffering from the impact of climate change. Before, nomadic herders and farmers coexisted well alongside each other, but with climate change there is less land to cultivate and less grazing land for herders, and this has led to more inter-communal strife.

In the past, local leaders would help to alleviate these conflicts, but they have been driven out by the terrorists, who in some cases, manipulate and aggravate disagreements between farmers and herders in order to extend their sphere of influence.

What type of crisis is the region faced with?

The region is facing multiple crises, for which the people of the Sahel are not responsible. These are global issues with global affects: we are seeing more illegal...