UN Resets Strategy to Address Root Causes of Sahel Crisis

The UN announced that it has revamped its Sahel strategy to better tackle the root causes of the crisis in a region beset by insecurity, climate change, poverty and extremism.

“The Sahel is a priority for the Secretary-General and the entire United Nations system,” Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference being held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, to discuss strategies to tackle the Sahel crisis, which leaves 24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance this year.

Africa’s Sahel is now home to one out of five people worldwide requiring humanitarian assistance, the UN official said.

Due to its vast lawless desert swathes, the Sahel has in the last two decades fell prey to the surge of terrorism and violent extremism.

“The complexity and multi-dimensional nature of these challenges attest to the necessity to respond collectively to the Sahel crisis, and in a more coherent, comprehensive and integrated manner,” Amina Mohammed explained.