With President Idriss Déby’s death, Western-backed military strategies risk further destabilizing the already volatile Sahel region.
The recent death of Chad’s longtime dictator, Idriss Déby, has thrown the Sahel region into further turmoil, drawing brief global attention to the escalating crisis. However, this interest is expected to be fleeting, as the international community’s focus on the region has historically been short-lived.
The Sahel, a vast and arid expanse across sub-Saharan Africa, includes Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso, collectively known as the G5 Sahel. This region is facing an intersection of some of the world’s most severe challenges. The rise of jihadist terrorism has taken a devastating toll on human lives and is seen as an emerging threat to Europe.
However, the region’s struggles go beyond terrorism. The Sahel suffers from undemocratic governance, widespread corruption, environmental damage, climate change, and severe poverty. These issues, compounded by colonial legacies, unchecked Covid-19 outbreaks, and humanitarian crises, have made the Sahel one of the world’s most chaotic and dangerous areas.
The West’s continued reliance on military solutions to combat extremism in the Sahel, exemplified by its backing of Déby’s regime, risks worsening instability and further escalating the already complex conflicts in the region.
