Malian Crisis's impact on the

Group 5 Sahel countries

A Glopo Case Study

Overview
Background on The Malian Crisis?:

in France in 1960, Mali
Ever since its independence
has faced instability and rebellions in 1963,1990 and
2006, particularly from the Tuaregs and Arab
populations that live in the north of the country. The
rebellions occurred because the Tuaregs wanted to
gain independence for the unrecognized state of
Azawad, which takes up the entirety of Northern
Mali.
The current crisis started in 2012 when the
separationist group know as the National Movement
for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), led by the
Tuareg people, kicked Malian forces out of the north.
The MNLA had ties and was helped by many Islamist
groups, such as the Movement for Oneness and Jihad
in West Africa, Ansar Dine and al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The 2012 rebellion also
occurred partly due to the killing of Libyan
revolutionary and dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, in
2011. Many Tuaregs fought for him in Libya, so his
death caused a lot of Tuaregs to leave Libya, many
experienced fighters whose presence was vital to the
2012 conflict. Upon the removal of the Malian
military from the area, the MNLA imposed sharia law
in the north.
The people of Mali in the south were dissatisfied
with the government’s handling of the rebellion, so in
March 2012 President Amadou Toumani Toure was
ousted by a military coup headed by the Malian
army. The scuffles for power in the south and
instability in the capital city of Bamako made it easy
for the MNLA and Islamist groups to establish their
power in the north and declare independence.
Despite their joint interests at first, the Islamists and
the MNLA fell out in June 2012, as the Islamists were
more concerned with pushing sharia law while the
MNLA simply wanted the liberation of Azawad and
the ability to govern themselves. When the Islamists
started to push into the center of the country, the
Malian government as France’s military to intervene
in January 2013. Their involvement included
deploying warplanes and ground troops. France’s
involvement in Mali and the larger Sahel region is
named Operation Barkhane, and through the
operation, a sum total of three thousand troops have
been deployed in Mali since 2013 to help Mali’s
military and it’s citizens. Other missions created to
help with conflict in Mali include the UN’s
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in
Mali (MINUSMA), created in April 2013 as a counter to
rising extremism in the area. The UN currently has
thirteen thousand peacekeepers deployed in Mali, as
it is known as the UN’s most dangerous mission due
to high attacks on their peacekeepers. International
involvement has been high but has not been able to
curb the spread of extremism and militant groups in
the Sahel region, which resulted in the creation of the
Group 5 Sahel Force in 2017 as a counter to terrorism
in the area.
 What is the Group 5 Sahel
Force?:
Created in February 2017 by France and the Group of 5
Sahel countries (G5), which are made up of Burkina
Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, the Group 5
Sahel Force was made to counter-terrorism in the Sahel
region, a region that runs from West Africa to Northern
Central Africa. With operations that began in October
2017, the G5 force is also aided by the USA, which
deployed 15000 troops to the Sahel while also building
drone bases to perform strikes in the west and north of
Africa.

Current Situation in Mali:

Since 2020, there have been two military coups in the country,
resulting in the removal of former President Ibrahim Boubacar
Keïta in August 2020 and the subsequent removal a few
months later of his replacement, interim President Bah Ndaw
on the 24th of May, 2021. Ndaw was part of a civilian lead
transitional government that was in place after the 2020 coup.
Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of both coups, has taken power
and has yet to announce a new prime minister. This has
angered the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS), who have both suspended
Mali as the only reason they lifted their suspension after the
first coup was because Mali agreed to an eighteen-month
transitional government with the promise of February 2022
election. This coup, the 5th coup to have taken place since the
country’s independence from France, has caused France to
declare, as of June 2021, that it would shift Operation
Barkhane’s focus, by withdrawing all five thousand troops
from Mali, to solely focus on the counterterrorism effort in the
Sahel.
 Effects on Each State in the G5:
Burkina Faso
Being the second-largest contributor in terms of troops to MINUSMA, Burkina Faso have
suffered a lot of pressure and attacks from non-state armed groups since the Malian crisis,
with “ 399 events associated with actions by state security forces or militant groups and that
caused 1800 fatalities”(Dr Grégory Chauzal). With growing distrust in the government
stemming from the increase of arbitrary arrests and executions, the weakening relationship
between the government and communities have given rise to more inter-communal disputes.
Such disputes include ones between ethnic groups, such as the Mossi and Fulani people. Non-
state armed groups have taken advantage of this disconnect between the government and its
people to form ties with communities they share cultural roots with, while also providing
essential services the government is no longer able to provide. More than 2000 schools have
been closed in the country. Burkina Faso's national wealth is poorly distributed and its
livestock (the country contains 20 per cent of the livestock in the Sahel region) is also poorly
distributed as the citizens frequently face famines. Burkina Faso has increased its military
activity, placing camps in high-risk areas, which is a product of the country revising defence
its policies.

Mauritania
Mauritania share’s a border with Mali that is unencumbered by geographical

obstacles, resulting in the countries having strong ties at the level of larger human

migration between the two nations, economic ties such as movement of goods and

border communities that share a cultural and religious context. Mauritania remains

stable, despite a slew of terrorist attacks from 2006 to 2011, and its proximity to

Wagadou, a forest in Mali near its border which is a tactical point for non-state

armed forces. Its current stability is due to its deterrent and active policy-making,

turning the north of the country, as of 2009, into an exclusive military zone that

focuses on patrols, which includes government forces and private security

companies. Though Mauritania has to deal with a lot of Malian refugees, it also has

initiatives in place at the local level with religious leaders and marriage strategies

being arranged by communities along the border to keep things calmer.

 Niger
Niger faces the most hardships in the region, with its placement near several zones of
crisis such as Mali, Liptako–Gourma and the Lake Chad Basin. The Malian crisis has a
direct impact on Niger. Niger has forces in Mali, due to its role in the MINUSMA. It’s
also part of the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram (MNJTF), a group
that has been active in Mali as well as other countries in the region. With an economy
that is becoming increasingly unformalized and criminalized, Niger suffers from a
weakening of both relationships between communities and government power over
the region due to the growing influence of non-state armed forces. Its deteriorating
public relations is also affected by the influx of refugees, which means authorities have
to centre their attention on preventing conflicts between local and refugee
communities.

Chad
Chad suffers from balancing national security and social freedoms. Caught
between West, Central and East Africa, Chad has also been active in Mali, with
forces sent to combat the crisis and involvement in MINUSMA. Due to its
location near the crisis spots of South Sudan, Darfur, the Central African
Republic, Libya, and the Lake Chad basin, Chad has a lot of military involvement
in regional crises. Chad is also part of MNTJ in the fight against Boko Haram.
Chad’s increased military activities have increased their exposure to terrorist
threats and caused the government to resort to extreme anti-terrorism
measures that often infringe on its citizen’s rights. Measures to combat
terrorism include banning public demonstrations, the wearing of burqas and
turbans, begging, the dissolving of many religious associations and an overall
increase in arbitrary detainment and arrests. Economically, Chad faces issues
relating to its recessions that have been occurring since 2015. These recessions
have affected oil prices, a vital part of Chad’s economy that is only made worse
by the overall conflicts which resulted in the implementation of austerity
measures (measures that reduce government spending, increase taxes and
reduced government services such as healthcare). These measures are
particularly harmful to rural communities and harm many people’s lively hoods
The Chadian government has also declared red zones in the country where
migration is restricted and refugees and locals have been particularly tense over
resources. Due to Chad’s efforts in Mali and in fighting Bokoharam, the
international community has chosen to disregard the regimes unlawful decision
making. Amnesty International, in response to a reform in 2018 that increased
Chad’s President’s power, stated that the government could “use national
legislation to impose unlawful restrictions on the right to freedom of
associations” (Amnesty International)
 Link To Key Concepts
Peace & Conflict
The presence of non-state armed groups in the Sahel is an issue, as each of the
G5 states has varying degrees of reach over their citizens, resulting in an ability
to handle its intrastate conflicts. Each state deals with the conflicts that occur
within it’s borders, but those conflicts are only made worse by the state’s
involvement in Mali, whose conflict can be viewed as an Extrastae conflict
depending on the lense. While Mali has attempted to solve its internal
government issues alone, it has had to resort to Buckpassing due to the fact that
the state has nor the government or military necessary to combat the rebels in
the north. The country’s continuous coups however have caused country’s like
France to refocus their military efforts on the rest of the Sahel which is
beneficial to the other states but spells doom for Mali.

Interdependence
Non-state armed groups rely on vulnerable communities for resources,
recruitment, and ton use as strategic points to stage operations. Cultural
similarities between armed groups and communities can form bonds that
transcend the bonds some citizens may have to their state government.
Borders in the Sahel can either be hotspots or areas of unity, but either way
their relationships matter because it can be the difference between having a
united front or an easy entry point for terrorist activities. Mali relies on the
help of the G5 alongside IGOS like the UN to handle its issues with the north
and prevents the south of the country from being overtaken

Development
Development in the G5 countries is slow-growing, mostly due to their conflicts.
The presence of armed groups makes it so countries have to put in legislative
measures to rise military activity and fortify national security over social
services. This results in governments turning slowly authoritarian, such as
Chad, while the international community stands by and does nothing in the
name of squashing terrorist groups. In another vein, it can mean complete loss
of control due to citizens distrusts and a state where large parts are controlled
by armed forces who are doing a better job of providing services to vulnerable
communities

Takeaway
Mali needs to get its government situation under control. An unstable southern
region makes the whole country vulnerable to further takeover by jihadist
groups. With France withdrawing and a suspension from a major IGO like the
African Union, Mali may be at risk of losing further support. The country
suffers particularly in the aspect of sovereignty, the most prominent form of
government change is military coups. Its instability negatively impacts other
members of the G5. The longer it stays a hub for terrorist activity, the more the
whole Sahel will deteriorate.
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