⸺2021 Dakar Forum⸺
Contributions of the Experts
The contents of the following articles are the sole responsibility of their authors. They constitute a series of independent contributions to the debates and reflections of the Forum, which is above all a place of free and informal exchanges.
⸻ CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPERTS
Andrew LEBOVICH
"Russia, Wagner Group, and Mali: How European fears weaken European policy"
Europeans reacted sharply to the news of Wagner Group’s interest in Mali – and interviews suggest the company has been present in the country. But European states and the EU remain the dominant security and development player in the Sahel...
⸻ CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPERTS
Bakary SAMBE
"Coastal countries facing the terrorist threat: how to avoid the "mistakes" of the Sahel?"
In the Sahel, the various counter-terrorism strategies have so far failed to stem a phenomenon that, instead of receding, continues to threaten the entire region. From the beginning of this fight, the military and security approach had been favored in view of the security emergencies that had surprised the clueless states...
⸻ CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPERTS
Boubacar BA
"Taking responsibility for the councils of the leading families of Macina in the prevention and fight against violent extremism in central Mali"
Since 2016, the Mopti region (central Mali) has become the scene of an unprecedented escalation of violence targeting civilians in particular. Community-based armed groups have settled permanently in the flood zone of the central Niger Delta and the areas free of attachments contributing to an ethnic dimension to the violence...
⸻ CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPERTS
Franck KIE
"Digital space as a field of confrontation and space for cyber-manipulation of foreign powers present in Africa"
In December 2020, Facebook announced the suspension of three manipulation networks totaling nearly 500 accounts and pages, linked to the "French army" and Russia (two of them). For the first time, Facebook became the theater of confrontational foreign influence operations, via fake accounts denouncing each other as such."
These disinformation operations were mainly aimed at the Central African Republic (CAR), but also at Algeria, Cameroon, Libya and Sudan - recalling the geopolitical, economic and military interests of both countries in the region.
⸻ CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPERTS
Krzysztof SOLOCH
"Poland's Africa policy: towards a more sustained presence "
Ten years ago, bold predictions envisioned Africa as "the continent of the future." Conflicts were fading and Africa was emerging unscathed from the financial crisis, while the Arab Spring brought hope of uprisings against authoritarian governments in sub-Saharan Africa as well. Africa's demographic potential excited investors. It is estimated that Nigeria's population could reach nearly 800 million by 2100, while DR Congo, Ethiopia and Tanzania could also be among the ten most populous countries in the world. One-third of the world's population will live on the continent...
⸻ CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPERTS
Mathieu MERINO
"The environmental challenges in Africa, what are the stakes for the continent?"
Among the regions of the world considered most exposed to environmental degradation, Africa appears today as one of the most vulnerable. This vulnerability is both a function of the continent's complex climate system and the interaction of this system with the socio-economic challenges that currently characterize it...
