Rising Terrorism And Escalating Coup d’Etats In Sahel Region Of Africa – OpEd

The Sahel region of Africa is suffering from Jihadist insurgent groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State, and al-Qaeda, who frequently attack in some parts of countries there. About fifty percent of global deaths in the Sahel region occurred by terrorist attacks. Their attacks against civilians and public infrastructure -including schools and health facilities- have endangered the lives and properties of millions of people and their livelihoods. 

The Sahel part of Africa includes – from west to east – parts of northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, the extreme south of Algeria, southern Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African Republic, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea, and the extreme north of Ethiopia.

After the region came out of centuries of colonialism, it is still relatively poor and entirely suffered from high inequality, and its security is dependent mostly on foreign aid. Without resources, it is almost impossible to sustain not only a government but also a professionalized military in the region as well.

The Sahel region's political topography is full of violence; it's a complex and continued panorama marked by a shocking 151 successful or abortive coups since 1960. This frequency of military takeovers portrays a picture of instability that goes beyond mere numbers.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has emphasized the need to establish a sustainable democratic government while supporting the rule of law. He added, "Many countries face deep-seated governance challenges. But military governments are not the solution.They aggravate problems. They cannot resolve a crisis; they can only make it worse,". Addressing the developments of military coups in Africa, Secretary-General Guterres said military coups took place in Niger, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Chad, Guinea, Sudan and Mali in previous years. Just a few days ago, there was a military coup in Gabon. All these countries are linked with the Sahel region of Africa.

As a result of the dry harsh climate the Sahel region has a big shortage of food and water. And this has been exacerbated by the rising population due to very high birth rates across the region; Niger has the world's highest fertility rate. The Sahel region is also suffering from the effects of climate change. Unpredictable weather patterns, droughts, floods and land degradation have negatively affected the agriculture and livestock sector in a region where the majority of the population survived off the land. 

The old mining industry of Africa – which was dominated by South Africa – currently has been shifted to Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso, collectively producing over 275 tonnes; Guinea has the largest bauxite reserves in the world and Niger provides five per cent of global uranium production. Due to these resources, local competition has increased for natural resources and threatens to exacerbate conflict and instability in the region.

In February in the small, coastal nation of Guinea-Bissau , the gunmen, who stormed government buildings in an attempt to overthrow President Umaro Sissoco Embaló appear to have been associated with international drug trafficking rings that operate in the country. It also appears to have roots outside its borders, rather than geopolitics.

The US State Department declared in 2014 that the country was "a narco-trafficking hub" between South America and Europe, that "corruption is endemic at all levels of government" and that "law enforcement and judicial officers are involved in drug trafficking, as are elements of the military."

The recent coup in Gabon has a different story as there were no serious security threats like the Islamist terror that plagues Mali and Burkina Faso from a security standpoint. The ousted President Ali Bongo was part of a dynastic dictatorship that had ruled the country for four decades, unlike in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, which had at various points in the past four decades made strides toward democratic civilian rule.

In January 2021, military leaders in the landlocked West Africa nation of Burkina Faso, citing a surging Islamic insurgency, overthrew the government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who had been in power since 2015. Kaboré had struggled to contain the Islamic insurgency, which includes groups associated with the Islamic State group and al Qaeda.

In Niger, though the economic and security situation was trending more positively under the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tchiani and his fellow coup-plotters in the presidential guard used the security situation as an excuse to take over the government.

The first coup in Mali occurred in August 2020 and came after months of public demonstrations against alleged corruption by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta's régime, and its failure to deal with growing militant Islamist attacks. A transitional civilian president - President Bah Ndaw - was appointed. Then in May 2021, the military resumed control, with Col Assimi Goïta back in charge as second coup within a short duration of time. They promised to organize elections in February 2022, but these were postponed, and they have now proposed a prolongation of the transition for five years. 

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, three West African Sahel nations ruled by military juntas, have a security pact on promising to come to the aid of each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression. The latest coup in Niger drove a further wedge between the three and countries of the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, which has threatened to use force to restore constitutional rule in the country. Mali and Burkina Faso have vowed to come to Niger's aid if it is attacked.

"Any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties," according to the charter of the pact, known as the Alliance of Sahel States.

Relations between France and the three states have soured since the coups. France has been compelled to withdraw its troops from Mali and Burkina Faso, and is in a tense standoff with the junta that seized power in Niger and to withdraw its troops and its ambassador. Niger has banned French aircraft flying from its airspace. In response, France has also suspended student mobility with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and told new students from those countries who were about to start studies in France that they may not come after all. 

As per the western analysts the military coups in the Sahel have weakened regional cooperation in the fight against the jihadists and the military regime must take a back seat, reinstate and allow the civilian political leadership to take charge and control the transitional trajectory leading to the return to democratic rule.

As neighboring countries and regional institutions grapple with the consequences of these coups, it is crucial to understand the unique challenges faced by African nations, particularly those in the Sahel region. Some experts on the Sahel region say it is not only critical that the root causes of instability, such as economic stagnation, political discontent and historical legacies, are addressed. They say regional- and international-level cooperation has a strong role to play in supporting the restoration of democratic governance and preventing future military interventions.

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahel
• https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/9/10/23866908/africa-coup-gabon-niger-mali-burkina-faso
• https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sahel-crisis-explained/#:~:text=Armedconflicteconomicinsecurityand,biggestchallengesaffectingtheregion.
• https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/03/sahel-after-spate-coups-what-can-be-done
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bng471
• https://www.universityworldnews.com/post-mobile.php?story=20230921004148603