UN on Africa’s Sahel Crisis

On November 12, 2021, UN peacekeeping chief warned that crisis in Africa’s Sahel region is volatile because Insecurity & instability are undermining prospects for development and many lives are being lost every day because of terrorist attacks.

Highlights

• As per the chief, millions of people are displaced, children are not able to go to school, and primary health care is inaccessible for many amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• He underlined the concerns while speaking at UN Security Council meeting on G5 Sahel force.

G5 Sahel force

G5 Sahel force was set up by five African nations namely, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mauritania. The force was set up in 2017 for fighting the growing terrorist threat in vast Sahel region.

Highlights of the address

During the conference, Lacroix noted that, joint force is increasing its operational pace however, it faces enormous challenges like return of foreign fighters from conflict in Libya, political uncertainty, domestic challenges, and major shortfalls in equipment.

Why Africa is hardest hit by terrorism?

According to UN experts, Africa became the region hardest hit by terrorism in first half of 2021 in the aftermath of increasing influence of Islamic State and al-Qaida extremist groups.

The Sahel

Sahel region of Africa is located between Sahara in the north and Sudanian savanna in the south. It is having a semi-arid climate and stretches across south-central latitudes of Northern Africa in between Atlantic Ocean and Red Sea. The region includes areas from west to east parts of northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, northern Burkina Faso, central Mali, extreme south of Algeria, extreme north of Nigeria, Niger, extreme north of Cameroon and Central African Republic, Central & southern Sudan, central Chad, extreme north of South Sudan, extreme north of Ethiopia and Eritrea.