La répétition de coups d’Etats dans des pays du Sahel, qui s’est accompagnée d’une brutale dégradation des relations diplomatiques avec la France, accrédite l’existence d’une crise sahélienne. Dans des pays dont la population est encore très majoritairement rurale et agricole, nous questionnons les ressorts agraires de cette crise.
Même si nous mettons l’accent sur les trois pays du centre ouest du Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), notre propos vaut aussi pour l’ensemble du Sahel (voir carte en bas de page).
Nous considérons par ce terme la zone de steppes soumise à un climat semi-aride qui s’étend autour du 13e parallèle (400-800mm de précipitations annuelles), séparant le désert saharien des zones de savanes soudaniennes3 plus humides, allant d’Ouest en Est du Sahel atlantique (Mauritanie et Sénégal) à la vallée du Nil (Soudan).
Ce questionnement des fondements agricoles de la crise implique de prendre en compte un temps plus long que l’écume de l’actualité et de considérer les transformations profondes qui affectent les territoires ruraux dans leur diversité.
"Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys with the UN World Food Programme to the Northern border of Senegal to see an innovative land recovery project within the Great Green Wall of Africa that is harvesting rainwater, increasing food security, and rehabilitating the ecosystem."
The project recovers lost indigenous knowledge of permaculture and uses mixed categories of local plants and shapes the land to allow it to improve and enrich itself.
The boss lady on a #Caturday morning, after celebrating #TheGlobalJigsaw 's New York Festivals award... yet despite the jolly distraction, she subbed and updated our latest episode on #drones - including #Iran attacking #Israel , a deep dive into the #UkraineWar and drone use in the #Sahel , plus a bit of #Drone history from the Queen bee on and #Shahed and #Bayraktar production - tune in, #CatsOfMastodon, you'll like it:
Söldner im Sahel: Russland umschmeichelt Afrikas Putschisten
Russland baut seinen Einfluss in Afrika beständig aus. Seit der Umbenennung der Wagner-Truppe in "Afrikakorps" hat ihre Bedeutung dort sogar zugenommen. Vor wenigen Tagen sind etwa 100 Soldaten im Sahel-Staat Niger eingetroffen. Von Kai Küstner.
> #Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys with the UN World Food Programme to the Northern border of #Senegal to see an innovative land recovery project within the Great Green Wall of Africa that is harvesting rainwater, increasing food security, and rehabilitating the ecosystem.
France’s Long Legacy of Colonialism Lives on in Sahel Crisis
"The invisible yet rampant exploitation of the postcolonial period, Françafrique meant colonialism without responsibility; the exploitation of African labor, resources and independence itself for foreign profit."
"French policy has heightened local conflicts: propping up undemocratic regimes, killing thousands of civilians and strengthening the very military forces seizing power."
Interesting broad-sweep-of-history observation about the new #Sahel alliance, out of Jerusalem this morning: there was a time when South Africa and Rhodesia banded together to fight efforts to end white minority rule.
They too claimed to be fighting terrorism and foreign interference.
But Europe can't afford to let jihadism flourish in the Sahel. Eventually, its electorate will demand action – with or without consent from coup leaders.
Bluntly put, even the pretence of democracy will protect you against Europe, and maybe even the USA.
Even if your coup is the only way to overthrow an entrenched kleptocracy, the moment you are under military rule, it is far easier to convince Europeans that bombing you was really the only way.