THE STATE OF THE SAHEL COUNTRIES
ISBN : 978-2-494601-62-8This book examines the complex interactions between informality and conflict in the Sahel. It poses two fundamental questions: how have the economic and social performances of Sahelian countries been affected by the insecure environment in which they operate? And how does the predominance of the informal sector in productive activity and employment affect strategies aimed at mitigating conflict? the past decade, a vast area dotted with small villages engaged in livestock farming, agriculture, and the trade of legal goods—where legitimately constituted local authorities often relied on deeply rooted ancestral traditions—has been almost entirely overrun by international networks trafficking drugs and arms of all kinds. The 2011 Libyan civil war allowed former African mercenaries in Libya to infiltrate the Sahel, facilitated by militias based in North Africa and Nigeria. Thus, a social contract based on well-established customs and traditions, which had enabled the peaceful coexistence of communities with often conflicting economic interests (such as farmers and herders), has been severely strained by insurgencies sponsored by international networks of violent militias and made more dangerous by access to new information and communication technologies (ICTs). Over What seems to have changed in the Sahel is the challenge of managing public goods, such as security and education systems, posed by the absence of state authority across practically the entire Sahara Desert.
