The Sahel security crisis: strategies, challenges and the role of the AU

The situation in Mali and the Sahel remains challenging. This seminar will discuss the dynamics of the situation, as well as the AU's strategy.

Date: 2014-10-22

Time: 11:00 to 13:00

Venue: Conference room , ISS Pretoria , Block C, Brooklyn Court , 361 Veale Street , Google map

Despite international and regional efforts to resolve the Mali crisis, the situation remains challenging. In the midst of the Algiers talks and the proliferation of Sahel strategies by various organisations, this seminar aimed to help understand the dynamics of the situation in Mali and the Sahel, as well as the African Union’s (AU) strategy for addressing the crisis.

The seminar was chaired by Dr David Zounmenou, a senior researcher at the ISS who is currently seconded to the UN Group of Experts on Côte d'Ivoire. The speaker was Dr Issaka Souare, Special Advisor to the High Representative of the AU for Mali and the Sahel. Thirty representatives from government, academia, civil society and the media attended the seminar.

Speaking on the nature of the ongoing crisis in northern Mali, Souare noted that the region has seen three major waves of rebellion. The first was a low intensity one, generally known as the Alfellaga, launched from Kidal between 1962-1964. The second wave in the mid-1990s was known as the Aljebha. This wave featured more prepared, resourced and popular organisations, often joined by returning refugees. A peace agreement negotiated in Southern Algeria temporarily ended the second wave. The mid-2000s saw the emergence of the third wave lead by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, from 2006 to 2009. The marked difference between the current instability and the previous waves is the infusion of terrorism.

According to Souare, most important drivers of the current conflict are weak political governance and deep-seated tensions in the society. Poor economic governance around limited resources, corruption and the nature of the terrain are also challenges. Souare also discussed criminality (terrorism and trafficking) and the impact of the Libyan crisis.

International and regional efforts to resolve the crisis have included:

• A December 2011 AU-UN assessment mission
• A joint experts meeting in March 2012
• Deliberations at the AU Peace and Security Council in March 2012
• The on-going Algiers peace process from June 2014 to the present
• The presence of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since 25 April 2013
• The African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA)
• There are multiple Sahel strategies by the AU, UN, EU and ECOWAS and each is working in various ways to contain the situation.

Discussions at the seminar covered the multidimensional nature of the conflict, and the need for coherent international support, regional cooperation, the isolation of terrorist groups, and African financial autonomy.