How can the destabilization of the Sahel region be overcome? That was the question at our AMK Symposium on October 31, 2020, in the “Glaskiste” project space at ExRotaprint. We also asked what Germany, the EU, and the African diaspora can contribute to peace, stability, and development.
What it was about
Peace, security, and stability are prerequisites for development. But the countries of the Sahel region faced particular challenges. Since the fall of the regime in Libya, destabilization had been spreading from there, and the arms trade was flourishing. Islamist groups terrorized the population and fueled local conflicts. The refugee routes through the Sahel countries became even more deadly.
Economic problems added to this. Changes in agriculture in the course of integration into the world market, together with population growth, led to underemployment that the manufacturing sector could not absorb. Many people ended up in the precarious informal sector. The region is also particularly affected by climate change, and conflicts between farmers and herders over fertile land were on the rise.
In the then-current Human Development Report of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), four Sahel countries were at the very bottom – in these places out of 189:
182
Mali
183
Burkina Faso
186
Chad
189
Niger
The legacy of colonialism also plays a role. Artificially drawn borders and a centralized form of statehood taken over from the colonial powers left poor regions with weak state structures permanently marginalized. A lack of trust in the state fosters tribalism and quickly turns into rejection. Neglected education systems are a breeding ground for terrorism – and schools had become preferred targets of attacks.
Guiding questions
- How can destabilization be overcome?
- How can state structures and civil society be strengthened, and peace, stability, and development be promoted?
- How can Germany and the EU support this?
- What options does the African diaspora have?
The program
- 9:30 a.m. Reception
- 9:45 a.m. Welcome and opening speech with greetings from the Ambassador of Mali and the Ambassador of Burkina Faso
- 10:00 a.m. Keynote talks
- 11:30 a.m. Panel and audience discussion with the Ambassador of Mali, the Ambassador of Burkina Faso, and a member of the German Bundestag from Alliance 90/The Greens
- 1:00 p.m. Lunch break with African buffet
- 2:00 p.m. Two parallel workshops
- 3:30 p.m. Coffee break
- 4:00 p.m. Closing discussion
The keynote talks
- A representative of the Afrique-Europe-Interact network spoke about socioeconomic conflicts – not only between farmers and herders – and about what should happen to bring more stability, especially in times of climate change.
- A researcher from the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient addressed youth, terrorism, the state, and religion in social transformation.
- A representative of the association Bürger aus Burkina Faso e.V. outlined the ways in which civil society and the diaspora can exert influence.
The workshops
Economy, security, and the state
How can the economic situation improve so that the region becomes more stable? How can the security situation be improved and state structures be consolidated? And what do the German government’s “Marshall Plan with Africa” and EU funding achieve?
Civil society, diaspora, and religion
What can civil society, African diasporas, churches, mosques, and development organizations contribute – in Germany and in the region? And how can they promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue in order to mediate between groups and prevent the extremist misuse of religion?
All contributions were simultaneously interpreted between German, English, and French. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the required protective measures were in place.
You can read more about the symposium in our documentation (PDF, in German).
The symposium was funded by Engagement Global on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.