In Disorder, They Thrive: How Rural Distress Fuels Militancy and Banditry in the Central Sahel
Middle East InstituteMar 15, 2023
story
West Africa: Aid Worker, Journalist Freed After Years in Captivity
Last updated Mar 21, 2023
Image credit: Reuters [via BBC]Facts
- 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.[1]
- 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.[2]
- US officials reportedly considered a military operation to rescue Woodke, but no evidence shows the US played a role in freeing Woodke or DuBois. In 2017, US troops were fatally ambushed in Niger after pursuing a cellphone signal from Doundoun Cheffou — a senior lieutenant of a former al-Qaeda affiliate believed to be connected to the kidnapping.[2]
- DuBois was kidnapped in April 2021 from northern Mali, which, along with parts of Niger and Burkina Faso, has been experiencing an ongoing insurgency with groups affiliated with al-Qaeda. Upon arriving in France on Tuesday, DuBois was greeted by family members as well as French president Emmanuel Macron.[3]
- The 48-year-old freelance journalist had been working for Libération, Le Point, and Jeune Afrique while living in Mali since 2015, before being kidnapped by the al-Qaeda-linked " Group of Support for Islam and Muslims."[4]
- Armed conflict across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger has left 10M children in need of humanitarian assistance — more than double the number in 2020, UNICEF warned in a new report.[5]
Spin
Narrative A
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.
Narrative B
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.
