2nd Annual SRG/International Crisis Group Symposium on the Sahel
More than a decade after the March 2012 coup and government collapse in Mali, the Sahelian political landscape has been radically transformed, characterized by a new governance context that has been largely shaped by rising insecurity, military coups, and the failure of the French and multi-lateral regional stabilization efforts.
The presence of jihadist groups and their ability to durably seize territory have been constantly growing in the last decade, especially in the central Sahel. In addition, a series of military coups has recently struck the central Sahel as well as the wider West Africa region. This includes Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Chad (April 2021), Guinea (September 2021), Burkina Faso (January 2022 and October 2022), and a failed coup attempt in Niger (March 2021). A new generation of military leaders is replacing the aging and largely discredited ruling elite. The French-led stabilization architecture in place since 2013 is also falling apart. Multilateral regional stabilization efforts are in a difficult situation. The G5 Sahel is at the end of its rope and struggles to remain relevant after Mali’s withdrawal.
This second ICG/SRG annual symposium addresses these issues. It brings together a number of scholars and practitioners in the policy community working on diverse aspects of the contemporary Sahel to present new research and exchange perspectives on the trajectory of the past decade and on prospects for the future.
This live event is free and open to the public (no virtual participation). Participants from outside the University of Florida are kindly requested to pre-register for the event by sending an email with your name and affiliation here. We gratefully acknowledge support for this event from the UF Center for African Studies and the Office of Research.