In Disorder, They Thrive: How Rural Distress Fuels Militancy and Banditry in the Central Sahel
Middle East InstituteMar 15, 2023
US aid worker Jeffery Woodke and French journalist Olivier Dubois arrived at an airport in Niger's capital city of Niamey on Monday, after being held hostage in Mali for approximately six and a half and two years respectively.
Woodke is also believed to have been brought to Mali after being kidnapped by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants in Niger, in October 2016. US officials said he was being medically evaluated.
The violence in central Sahel countries is fuelled by communal conflict, banditry, and violent extremism. These conflicts are partly rooted in a crisis of governance of rural areas and are exacerbated by climate change, demographics, and internal and cross-border migration. Fostering cooperation and dialogue between security actors, local authorities, and civilian populations, especially those that are marginalized and stigmatized, is key to restoring trust in public institutions.
US engagement in the Sahel has been overly militaristic. It's high time that Washington rethinks its strategy in the region with fewer counterterrorism-related activities and better, targeted diplomatic, humanitarian, and development efforts that deal with North and West African countries together rather than dividing countries like Algeria and Libya from their Sahelian neighbors.