An ICRC-Bad Panel Focusing on the Combined Impacts of Climate Change and Armed Conflict in the Sahel
This event was held in French.
On Thursday, April 19th, 2018, a panel of experts was held by the Red Cross and the African Development Bank in Abuja, Nigeria. Invited to comment on the present situation in the Sahel as well as to present the past and current work of the various organizations invited, Dr. Sibry Tapsoba[1], Mr. Ibrahim Lumumba Idi-Issa[2], Mr. Babacar Cissé[3] and Mr. Patrick Youssef[4] have focused their observations on an approach combining climate change and armed conflict which are at the heart of Sahelian issues: "The climatic insecurity of the Sahelian regions is particularly true ... it is at the heart of the African geopolitical news. "
In the opinion of the panellists, the link between climate change and the emergence of conflicts is an extremely relevant key to understanding the reality of the situation: an alarming portrait. The significant increase in natural disasters, observed mainly through the alternation of prolonged droughts and violent floods, poses a constant and increasing risk for communities largely dependent on rainfed agriculture. Indeed, the accentuation of crop irregularities for farmers, coupled with the scarcity of grazing lands for pastoralists, who had to change their nomadic routes to the south, resulted in internal migration to cities that do not have the means to welcome them or into external migration to Europe. These same population displacements increase the pressures in the densely populated regions which, in convergence with the important demographic growth and the sharp reduction of the hydraulic reserves, critically diminish the available cultivation spaces and the already weakened capacity of resilience. Consequently, these realities amplify intercommunity tensions which, over time, lead to the multiplication of resentments creating a vicious self-fulfilling movement. Confessional and community violence, border disputes, situations of fragility and radicalization are the most obvious symptoms.
For Dr Tapsoba, the Sahel region is suffering the repercussions of climate change critically but insidiously. Indeed, while international discussions focus on the reduction of greenhouse gases and rising ocean levels, the region is experiencing more and more cyclical droughts. For this interlocutor, the answer to these climatic challenges as well as to the consequent violence is within the traditional community systems which contain the necessary strengths of resilience. These same systems could integrate effectively, with an active assistance, measures of adaptation for the agro-pastoral population to the new climatic realities. The error of development in these regions was to focus on the construction of states rather than strengthening of communal ties: a critical flaw that allowed denominational solidarities to supplant them. The best way to address the conflict situation is to encourage a local economy based on inclusion and ensure local reconfiguration in response to changes in the availability of water resources. As a result, an emphasis on direct funding of community programs is needed.
For Mr Youssef, the situation in the Sahel is divided into two axes that incite conflicts and fragilities: Lake Chad confronted with the Islamic State in West Africa (Boko Haram) and the Malian conflict, which by its intensity is the epicentre of regional migration. Lack of infrastructure, poverty and lack of viable economic solutions are at the heart of this phenomenon. Although many migrants have a desire to return to their home region and resume their economic activities, the lack of physical and environmental security as well as the lack of opportunities prevent their expected return. The answer that will have to be chosen must include a long-term perspective and not only address short-term considerations. Indeed, if the economic, social and environmental situations are not addressed, the conflicts will continue to ignite and population displacements will increase. Indeed, any solution must "rebuild community ties to replace denominational solidarities and this must be done with conflict resolution mechanisms. "
For Mr Lumumba Idi-Issa, the solution lies in the synergy of interventions as well as the reinforcement of information capabilities. Indeed. It is vital to avoid duplicating agency, donor, and state interventions since the redundancy of many actions make each one less effective. In addition, it is vital to inform and prepare communities to build or rebuild resilience that has already been severely tested and to avoid competition for resources that inevitably lead to new conflicts. Five strategic aspects should be deployed in order to achieve these objectives: Ensuring the food and nutritional security of the communities, ensuring a sustainable and sustainable supply of drinking water, undertaking sustainable management policies of pastoral and agrarian lands and finally considering the population growth to ensure sustainable development of populations.
For Mr Cissé, an integrated approach in terms of development, policy and humanitarian for the Sahel is necessary since currently, all actors have strategies differentiated and sometimes even contradictory. For that, governance is the essential element. Indeed, effective and inclusive local, national and regional governance must be coupled with the deepening of regional security mechanisms and the articulation of transnational links with the emphasis on security and development. As a result, four priorities will be refined by the United Nations Action Plan for the Sahel, which will be published by the end of April 2018: The establishment of a cross-border cooperation program to counter the spread of conflicts and counter Organized crime, promoting justice and human rights by expanding access to basic social and judicial services, introducing educational programs for young people and women, and building resilience to climate change.
[1] Director of the Coordinating Office of States in Transition at the African Development Bank
[2] Deputy Executive Secretary of the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel
[3] Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Ivory Coast
[4] Deputy Regional Director for Africa, ICRC