West Africa and the Sahel: Understanding the Changing Landscape

Dr Olayinka Ajala of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, hosts his first African Research Initiative (ARI) Workshop.

Workshop title: West Africa and the Sahel: Understanding the Changing Landscape

Date: Wednesday 1 May 20024

Time: 10am-4pm

Location: Jubilee and Acre Rooms, James Graham Building, Leeds Beckett University, Headingly Campus, LS6 3QS

Speaker 1: Professor Morten Boas (Research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), specialising in Africa and the Sahel)

Democratic backsliding – is a wind of authoritarianism brewing in Africa?

Lately we are repeatedly told that the world we live is defined by a global conflict between democracy and dictatorship. Africa has been signposted as one of the places where this battle will take place, and we are often told by pundits that democracy is backsliding in several places on the continent but is this really what is taking place? The answer to this question is yes and no at the same time. In countries where democracy as a system of rule over time has produced something that people find of value, what we see is that people rush to defend it if rulers try to bend rules or find other ways to extend their time in power. What recently happened in Senegal illustrates this. In other places like Mali, however, the population may give their support to authoritarian leaders – recent credible polls give President Goïta an approval rating of 85 per cent – but this is taking place in country where what they got was a democracy that delivered unending violent conflict and an abundance of corruption, and nothing else. The picture is therefore considerably more nuanced and complex than just democratic backsliding, as even in Mali one could question what the progress has been if democracy now is backsliding. However, where democracy has not delivered, other external powers will attempt to increase their influence as seen with Russia in the Sahel and the new cosiness between unelected rulers and the Putin regime which also deserves critical scrutiny and analysis.

Speaker 2: Issaka Ouedraogo (Director of Sahel Political a Risk & Strategy consultancy based in Switzerland)

Topic: The impacts of Insecurity, economic stagnation and external interference on governance in the Sahel

West-Africa is currently going through one the world’s biggest security crises with its attendant negative and durable impacts on human security, peace and economic prosperity. Expanding Jihadist Insurrections led by terrorist groups such as JNIM/IS killing, injuring, or forcing thousands to flee yearly. The last four years have seen an unprecedented rise of military coups in the Sahel notably in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. This “comeback of coups” happened around the decade marking the start of the jihadist insurrection which local liberal-minded civilian governments were unable to contain or degrade even with the help of foreign military “boots on the ground” be they of Western or Russian inspiration. Subsequent opposition to military takeovers led to diplomatic spat between military authorities and International and regional players over elections delays and deployment of Russian mercenaries.

Issaka will explore the challenges posed by prolonged Jihadist violence, political instability and economic downturn in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger while answering the following questions: To what extent do international or regional players' responses and influence play a role in mitigating or exacerbating the genesis and or expansion of both phenomena in the region? What are the impacts of ongoing insecurity and instability on the evolution of the nature and characteristics of governance in the Sahel? How can international and regional partners support Sahelian states efforts to counter terrorism and restore constitutional normalcy without exacerbating existing regional and geopolitical tensions?

Event Venue

Jubilee Room, James Graham Building, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom