Sahel: a decade marked by instability in the triple border

January 2022 marks a decade since the outbreak of the war in northern Mali, which has had devastating effects on the populations of the region. The crisis initially located in the north of Mali has acquired a regional dimension, amplifying its effects in different countries of the Sahel. In Mali, the violence has been moving from the north to the central and southern regions, currently affecting three quarters of the territory. Likewise, the dynamics of violence have spread to the west of Niger and to the north and east of Burkina Faso. In these years, other countries in the Gulf of Guinea region have also been affected, with violent episodes being recorded in Benin, Ivory Coast, Togo and Ghana. The continuous deterioration of the security situation has meant that the region is currently facing a multidimensional crisis: security, political, humanitarian, economic, environmental, etc. In ten years of violence around 20,000 people have lost their lives; more than 2.5 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes; the region faces a serious humanitarian and food insecurity crisis; multiple human rights violations have been reported; the region facing a major governance crisis with multiple recorded coups; etc. The objective of this report is to present an overview of the crisis in the region from its beginning in 2012 to the present (June 2022) in order to facilitate the understanding of its origin, dynamics, actors and impacts.

Download report here (in spanish)