The United States (US) State Department consistently warns that the ongoing conflict in the Sahel region is a threat to its national security.
More than 6 500 people have died, millions have been displaced and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance while millions more are fleeing to neighboring countries, often with an eye on Europe or America.
Rich in oil, natural gas, uranium and lithium, there is a scramble for mineral resources in this part of the world by world powers including the US, France, Russia and China.
It comes as Washington is rethinking its strategy and moving away from a reactive counter-terrorism stance to forging partnerships and offering humanitarian aid to the people of the Sahel.
Pisa Williams, co-founder of Williams Strategy Advisors LLC believes, “The modern world will become more and more dependent upon rare earth minerals that are largely found in the Sahel Region.”
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In April 2022, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington would advance the “US Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability” in coastal West Africa by prioritizing partnerships with Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Togo.
Still, some critics argue the policy was formulated to prevent Sahelian terrorism from expanding its reach, rather than deep-seated interests in the Sahel itself.
A final report and recommendations by a senior US study group for the Sahel recently found four emerging trends to help the US with the implementation of a long-term US multilateral policy in the Sahel:
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• The increasing influence and presence of external powers in the Sahel, particularly China and Russia, and the diminishing role played by France
• The growing presence of regional middle powers, most notably, Algeria, Morocco and Turkey
• An astonishingly rapid and substantial growth in population that has created a potentially destabilizing “youth bulge”
• Intensifying threats to agricultural production and food security created by armed conflict, terrorism and the effects of climate change.
The study group recommends the US harness its comparative advantages to develop and leverage economic partnerships and pursue a five-pronged agenda that entails:
• Provision of security support
• Promote peace, stability and democracy by deterring coups and facilitating dialogue between warring parties.
• Partner with regional organizations and enhance cooperation between the Sahel and Magreb regions
• Prioritise human rights, civilian protection and food security.
• Foster economic growth by investing in the youth.
TO FIND OUT MORE: https://www.usip.org/events/peace-security-and-prosperity-sahel
