The situation in the Sahel has deteriorated with surging cases of violence. Intercommunal conflicts and militia attacks have continued to disrupt peace and security in the region. The Head of United Nations in West Africa warned that despite intense efforts to combat the Insurgencies, violent rebel groups continue to stage their attacks, forcefully recruiting children from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
Currently, the Sahel is in quite a volatile state. In Burkina Faso, for instance, residents are living in fear. Some have even fled to neighboring countries in search of safer environments. The people to date remain uncertain, not knowing what the next day has in store for them.
The Sahel Displacements
It is the first time for the Sahel to record massive numbers of displaced persons. The United Nations Refugee Agency confirmed that about two million people in the region were homeless. The significant number comes in handy with the surging insurgencies over the past months. The Sahel states’ residents preferred fleeing their homes to live as refugees instead of being caught in crossfires with the extremists.
Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger have been battling rebel attacks since 2012. Nine years down the line, residents in the Sahel are still fighting the insurgents. It is quite unfortunate as the extremist groups have dominated most of the rural parts of the region. And because of their predominance, they have the power to continue running their operations.
According to the UNHCR, the escalating violence in Burkina Faso and Niger has forced over 21000 people to run away from their homes and seek refuge in their countries. Since 31st December last year, over 11000 people became homeless after fleeing series of violence from their homes.
Challenges Refugees Face
Despite the refugees receiving humanitarian support, basic needs like shelter and food are still a problem. Most refugees sleep in open spaces that are not safe at night because they are vulnerable to insect bites like mosquitoes. Chances of contracting waterborne disease are relatively high. Food insecurity happens to be one of the major problems in the Sahel. Feeding large populations of two million people is not an easy task.
The UNHCR asked the International Community to increase its support in the region. Moreover, earlier in January, the African Development Bank announced that it would endorse the release of $6.5 billion to help countries in the Sahel.
Meanwhile, the African Union also seeks to help Sahel countries through its Great Green Wall project. The latter aims to solve climate change in the Sahel and provide room for surplus food, employment opportunities, water supplies, etc. The Green Wall Project in the Sahel works based on mitigating and adapting to climate change in the region to improve food security.
Meanwhile, France has stayed true to helping the Sahel states combat insurgencies. Since 2013, France has been supplying soldiers in the region. Recently, about 5100 soldiers in the area are from France. However, many controversies have arisen as it appears most of France’s nationalities want their soldiers to withdraw from the mission. Chances are, some of them might pull out.
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