The Crisis in the Sahel: Conflict Assessment, Responses and the Way Forward

As mandated by the Security Council in its resolution SC 2056 (2012), the United Nations is developing an Integrated Regional Strategy on the Sahel and the Secretary General has appointed a Special Envoy for the Sahel to coordinate efforts. The strategy will require consultations with national, regional and sub-regional organizations as well countries of the region. While regional in nature, the strategy will need to be anchored in national ownership and the onus for solving the crisis in the Sahel will rest with the Governments of the region.

DPA tasked the SIPA students:

1. To conduct a conflict assessment of the crisis in the Sahel with particular attention to the newtransnational and cross border threats and the extent to which they have pushed the traditional conflict lines.
2. To provide an analytical account of the serious implications of these threats on the issues of security, resiliency and human rights.
3. To review and analyze the responses to the crisis so far, at the regional and international level and identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps.
4. In light of the new integrated strategy recently proposed by the Secretary General,

• To analyze what the new lines on the sand may be to address the crisis in the Sahel;
• To give an analytical account of the international architecture to support it;
• To identify best practices/lessons learned of co-operation between the United Nations and regional or sub regional organizations which may serve as a basis for the way forward.