Women in Sahel face worst repercussions of political instability & insecurity, UN warns

Women and girls across the Sahel region are facing unprecedented and systemic threats as political instability, environmental degradation, and dwindling international support converge to erode their rights and safety, senior UN officials told the Security Council.

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, painted a grim picture of life for women in countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad, where extremists’ control of vast swathes and humanitarian collapse are stripping away basic freedoms and opportunities.

“In the Sahel, where the world’s gravest concerns converge, women and girls bear the brunt,” Bahous said.

“Crises driven by terrorism, poverty, hunger, and a crumbling aid system are converging violently and disproportionately on their bodies and their futures,” she said.

Bahous described a reality where women’s movement, visibility, and even clothing are tightly restricted. Schools have been burned or shuttered, leaving over one million girls without access to education.

In Burkina Faso alone, the number of abductions of women and girls has more than doubled in the past 18 months, she said.

“Abduction is not a by-product of terrorism in the Sahel – it is a tactic,” she said.

In Mali, 90 percent of women and girls are affected by female genital mutilation, while child marriage rates remain among the highest globally. Maternal mortality, driven by early pregnancies and poverty, ranks among the worst in the world.

Climate change is compounding the crisis. Women are traveling longer distances for water and firewood, often at great personal risk. Two-thirds of women surveyed report feeling unsafe during these journeys, Bahous noted.

By May, only eight percent of the region’s humanitarian appeal had been met. Development assistance has dropped nearly 20 percent over the past two years, forcing the suspension of women’s protection and empowerment programs and the closure of gender-focused government ministries.

Leonardo Santos Simão, head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), echoed Bahous’s concerns, warning that jihadist violence and political turbulence are undermining governance and peacebuilding efforts.

“The region’s economy remains highly vulnerable to external shocks,” Simão said. “Although macroeconomic indicators show improvement, rising debt levels continue to constrain governments’ capacity to provide essential services.”

Still, there are glimmers of progress. In Chad, women now hold 34 percent of parliamentary seats. In conflict-prone border zones in Mali and Niger, women’s participation in local peacebuilding efforts has risen from five to 25 percent, helping resolve over 100 disputes related to scarce natural resources.

Joint UN programs have helped increase adolescent girls’ return to school by 23 percent and doubled women’s participation in local governance across 34 conflict-affected communities. A UN-World Bank initiative has reached over three million adolescent girls with health care, safe spaces, and life-skills training.

Bahous urged the international community to renew its commitment to the region, warning that without urgent action, fragile gains could be lost.