Sahel: the problem of ransoms payments

Paul Amara, Consultant, Strategy, Security, Sahel Sahara (Centre4s.org)

In the Sahel: should ransoms be paid to jihadists to free foreign hostages? This debate has been going on since at least 2003. Indeed, paying ransoms offers a chance of saving lives, but it also encourages, or even perpetuates, that practice. It is indeed an old debate. Refusing to loosen the purse strings is sometimes tantamount to signing the hostages’ death warrants. Given the complexity of the operation, sooner or later, countries end up using both methods, even if it means not revealing what really happened behind the scenes. Hostage trafficking remains a thriving business. Thanks to it, terrorist groups buy weapons, recruit new members and perpetuate the system.

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 Sahel: Are drones still relevant there?

Limam Nadawa, Consultant, Sahel Center for Security Strategies Sahara Centre 4s.org

Conflicts in the Sahel are entering into a major technological shift. In addition to ground combats, terrorists are increasingly using drones. That development is changing the balance of power on the ground. The armed terrorist groups (ATGs) weapons abilities, the appropriations they make from national armies stocks following combat, commercial logic and global geopolitics have all contributed to this phenomenon. Sahel armies, for whom these vectors were a panacea, are now rethinking their use. Therefore, with drones’ destructive impacts, the battle in the Sahel skies includes the fight in the electronic field.

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Sahel: one continuation of the Russia-Ukraine war?

Paul AMARA, Consultant, Center for Strategies for Security in the Sahel-Sahara (Centre 4s.org)

Faced with Western ambitions to anchor Ukraine within its military organization, NATO, Russia launched its « operation » against the country on February 24, 2022. What was supposed to conclude in a few weeks has turned into a major conflict. While weapons crackle on the front lines, bombs explode, and no less deadly drones hover, Ukraine has begun fighting Russia all the way to the Sahel, supporting the jihadists with military advisors and weapons initially intended for the theater of combat on its soil. At the same time, it is attempting to counter Russian influence with a diplomatic offensive and offers of cooperation in Africa. Its unexpected intrusion into the Sahel complicates the fight against terrorism by the armies involved. One of the strongest indicators of the scale of the fighting is the number of casualties. Indeed, the Ukrainian army’s losses amount to approximately 600,000 dead, with nearly 500,000 wounded and 200,000 deserters. On the other hand, Russia has suffered 110,000 dead and 300,000 wounded. The latest news is not good for Ukraine and its allies. Towns are falling into Russian hands, one after the other. Lablonivka, in the Sumy region, located about 25 km from the regional capital of the same name, has been conquered. In the Donetsk region, where most of the fighting is taking place, the Russian army has taken control of the towns of Komar and Kopteve. It was there that Vladimir Putin announced his intention to establish a « buffer zone » to protect against Ukrainian incursions into Russian soil. Ukraine and the West are now convinced that Russia cannot triumph.

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United Nations at 80: « Better Together »

This Tuesday, September 23, the 80th session of the UN General Assembly will open in New York. Its theme— »Better Together: More than 80 Years of Serving Peace, Development, and Human Rights »—is eminently laudable. It offers an opening in an international context no longer characterized by a Cold War, but rather by real, deadly wars—Gaza, Ukraine—between Europe and Russia, and between Israelis and Palestinians. In this unprecedented context, that wish— »Better Together »—constitutes a hope for ending wars and reviving belief in peace.

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Sahel: the armed forces training?

Paul AMARA, Consultant, Center for Strategies for Sahel-Sahara Security, Centre4s.org

The complexity and the earnestness of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel have transformed this region into a vast market for military training. Often occurring in the wake of arms sales, these transfers respond to the objectives and rationales of Sahelian armies and supplier countries, whether African states or international partners. Proposals come primarily from Russia, the United States, China, European countries, Iran, Turkey, and Morocco. One of the main challenges is aligning these achievements with the overall defense strategy of the concerned countries. Assessing their impact on the effectiveness of Sahelian armies is a major challenge!

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