Press Release
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The African Studies Unit of the Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue issued a report titled “Armed Conflicts in the West African Coast Countries.”
The report addressed the continued deterioration in the security situation in some Sahel countries and the increase in attacks against security forces and the civilian population, which have been adopted by extremist religious groups,
In addition to the worsening of the motives of the conflict, the Covid 19 pandemic exacerbated the social, political and security instability in the Sahel region.
According to the report, these conflicts have been and continue to pose a threat to international peace on the African continent.
The report noted that countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Murtiania, Niger) continue to witness a lot of attacks by armed extremists, and have taken control of a large part of the territory. By 2021, six UN peacekeepers had been killed in Mali, where Mali is now at the center of armed conflict in Sahelcountries.
The report discussed a number of topics, the most important of which are:
Most prominent terrorist operations
According to the report, Africa, particularly the Sahel and Sahara region, is a catalyst for terrorism and extremism due to the weak grip of the central state there, as well as its rugged terrain, the spread of tribal conflicts and the penetration of human trafficking crimes. Terrorist operations are concentrated in five regions of Africa: the African Coast, which has been hit by nearly 800 terrorist attacks in 2019, Somalia: nearly 246 terrorist attacks in 2019, and the four-country Lake Chad region (Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad) that have been hit by nearly 765 terrorist incidents in 2019, up 35% from 2018, and North Africa: there were about 347 terrorist attacks in 2019, and the Northern Mozambique region, which was hit by nearly 200 terrorist incidents resulting in 710 deaths.
On the causes of armed conflicts in the West African Sahel
According to the report, there are several reasons that led to the spread of armed conflicts in the countries of the western Greek coast, the most important of which are the emergence of border conflicts after the end of the Cold War and ethnic, religious and clan conflicts, the emergence of various ideologies, the lack of clear political boundaries, and the conflict between states based on the division of resources
On the victims of the armed conflict in the West African Sahel countries as a result of these conflicts, the report said:
More than 2 million people have been displaced from their homes, and thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed, with reports showing that more than 4,000 people have fled attacks in Burkina Faso every day, 765,000 displaced people and 700,000 forced to flee in the past 12 months, according to the UN report.
On the role of the African Union, the United Nations and human rights organizations from armed conflicts in the West Sahel
According to the report, international organizations did not stand to see this bloody and inhuman view, stressing their lack of support for armed conflicts, and played many of the roles mentioned in the report, the most important of which was: the emergence of UN associations to resolve international conflicts and manage these conflicts in a blood-injecting manner, and the imposition of peacekeeping forces as a solution to the conflict between two states or groups on the ground One country, the United Nations responding to the appeals of a number of Sahel countries and sending a number of peacekeeping forces, as well as cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union for peace and security by resorting to the United Nations for logistical, financial and military support when necessary, and other roles played by the United Nations and the African Union in this regard.
You can view the report on the Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue website at:
