Mid-term consultative workshop on local conflicts in the Sahel

This meeting aimed to support efforts to prevent, mediate and settle local conflicts in the Sahel.

Date: 2019-09-11 to 2019-09-12

Time: 09:00 to 17:00

Venue: Bamako, Mali

Since the beginning of 2019, a worrying trend of violence linked to local conflicts has been on the rise in the Sahel, particularly in the Liptako-Gourma region. In order to respond appropriately, the African Union (AU) requested the Henry Dunant Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) to undertake a comprehensive study of local conflicts in the region. The study should lead to the adoption of a ‘policy framework for the prevention and mediation of local conflicts’.

As part of the project, the ISS and the HD held a mid-term consultative workshop in Bamako, Mali. The meeting brought together around 30 stakeholders, including traditional leaders, local elected officials, researchers and sociologists from Burkina, Mali and Niger. Attendees also included representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL).

The team presented the preliminary results of the analysis of local conflicts in the Liptako-Gourma region and benefited from the insights of key stakeholders. The workshop also provided an opportunity to deepen reflections on good practices in the prevention, management and resolution of local conflicts in the Liptako-Gourma region.

The workshop was a follow-up to an internal validation workshop organised by ISS and HD in Bamako in 9 September, during which the research team validated the preliminary findings of the research.

Picture: WikiMedia