Instability in the Sahel: A Cycle of Poverty and Violence

Stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, Africa’s Sahel region encompasses a vast geographic area with an estimated population of 150 million. The Sahel faces socio-economic, security, and environmental challenges that have stunted the development of regional states, while posing a security risk to the immediate region and beyond. Contextualizing the Sahel’s ongoing struggle with insecurity and socio-economic issues, against the backdrop of political and financial mismanagement, makes it clear that the region’s woes are cyclical in nature.