The State of Qatar called on the international community to continue mobilizing financial and technical resources and to fully fund the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan to help ensure a dignified life for the Afghan people.
This came in a statement delivered by Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Delegation of the State of Qatar to the United Nations (UN) Office in Geneva Juhara bint Abdulaziz Al Suwaidi during her participation in the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan held as part of the 59th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.
Al Suwaidi affirmed the State of Qatar’s continued commitment as an active international partner, highlighting that through its mediation efforts and by hosting the Special Envoys on Afghanistan meetings under the auspices of the UN, the State of Qatar succeeded in enhancing international consensus on many key issues and continued to provide humanitarian and development aid to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Afghan people.
She highlighted the State of Qatar’s commitment to including human rights issues in its discussions with Afghan parties, particularly in supporting and promoting the participation of Afghan women in the peacebuilding process, ensuring their right to education and equal employment opportunities, as well as protecting the rights of all segments of Afghan society.
The Afghan people endured decades of conflict, natural disasters, and terrorism, she added, pointing out that Afghanistan is currently facing numerous humanitarian, social, political, security, and economic challenges, which in turn affect efforts to promote and protect human rights.
The Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Delegation of the State of Qatar to the UN Office stressed that addressing these challenges requires intensified efforts to rebuild Afghan institutions, ensure continued humanitarian and development assistance for the Afghan people, and maintain dialogue and engagement with all Afghan parties to reach solutions that foster greater stability and growth.
Gaza, Haïti, le Soudan, le Soudan du Sud, et le Mali font désormais partie des zones en alerte maximale, où le risque d’insécurité alimentaire pour ses populations est le plus préoccupant et nécessitent une attention « urgente » de la communauté internationale, a mis en garde l’ONU lundi.
À moins d’une réponse d’aide urgente et à grande échelle, les populations de ces cinq points chauds sont confrontées à une faim extrême et à un risque de famine et de mort dans les mois à venir, indiquent l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO) et le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) dans un rapport commun.
« Ce rapport est une alerte rouge. Nous savons où la faim augmente et nous savons qui est en danger », affirme la Directrice exécutive du Programme alimentaire mondial, Cindy McCain.
Les crises dévastatrices sont exacerbées par des contraintes d’accès croissantes et des déficits de financement critiques.
Gaza et le Soudan parmi les points chauds les plus préoccupants
Au Soudan, la famine a été confirmée depuis 2024. Selon l’ONU, la situation devrait perdurer en raison de la poursuite du conflit et des déplacements de population, en particulier dans les régions du Grand Kordofan et du Grand Darfour.
Environ 24,6 millions de personnes devraient être confrontées à des niveaux de crise ou pire (phase 3 de l’IPC ou plus) d’insécurité alimentaire aiguë, dont 637 000 personnes confrontées à une catastrophe (phase 5 de l’IPC) jusqu’en mai 2025.
À Gaza, la probabilité d’une famine dans la bande de Gaza s’accroît à mesure que les opérations militaires à grande échelle entravent la capacité d’acheminer l’aide humanitaire vitale, alimentaire et non alimentaire.
L’ensemble de la population de l’enclave palestinienne – 2,1 millions de personnes – devrait être confrontée à des niveaux de crise ou pire (phase 3 de l’IPC ou plus) d’insécurité alimentaire aiguë, et 470.000 personnes devraient être confrontées à une situation catastrophique (phase 5 de l’IPC) jusqu’en septembre 2025.
Niveaux catastrophiques à Haïti
Au Soudan du Sud, le risque de famine dans deux régions du pays confirme de « sombres perspectives » pour ce pays d’Afrique de l’Est.
Environ 7,7 millions de personnes – soit 57 % de la population – devraient être confrontées à des niveaux élevés d’insécurité alimentaire aiguë (phase 3 de l’IPC ou plus) entre avril et juillet 2025, et 63.000 personnes devraient être confrontées à des niveaux catastrophiques (phase 5 de l’IPC) d’insécurité alimentaire aiguë.
En Haïti, les niveaux records de violence des gangs et d’insécurité déplacent les communautés et paralysent l’accès à l’aide. Plus de 8.400 personnes déplacées à l’intérieur du pays sont déjà confrontées à des niveaux catastrophiques (phase 5 de l’IPC) d’insécurité alimentaire aiguë dans la région métropolitaine de Port-au-Prince d’ici juin 2025.
Inquiétudes au Mali
Pendant ce temps, au Mali, les prix élevés des céréales et le conflit en cours érodent les capacités d’adaptation des ménages les plus vulnérables, en particulier dans les zones touchées par le conflit. Environ 2.600 personnes risquent de se retrouver en situation de catastrophe (phase 5 de la CH) entre juin et août 2025 si l’aide n’est pas fournie à temps.
Outre les points chauds les plus préoccupants, le Yémen, la République démocratique du Congo, le Myanmar et le Nigeria sont désormais des points chauds très préoccupants et requièrent une attention urgente pour sauver des vies et des moyens de subsistance. Les autres points chauds sont le Burkina Faso, le Tchad, la Somalie et la Syrie.
« Ce rapport le montre clairement : la faim aujourd’hui n’est pas une menace lointaine – c’est une urgence quotidienne pour des millions de personnes », souligne le Directeur général de la FAO, M. QU Dongyu.
« Nous devons agir maintenant, et agir ensemble, pour sauver des vies et préserver les moyens d’existence ».
Quelques progrès malgré les coupes budgétaires et la baisse des rations alimentaires
En revanche, l’Éthiopie, le Kenya, le Liban, le Lesotho, le Malawi, le Mozambique, la Namibie, le Niger, la Zambie et le Zimbabwe ont été retirés de la liste des points chauds de la faim.
En Afrique de l’Est et en Afrique australe, ainsi qu’au Niger, l’amélioration des conditions climatiques pour les récoltes et la diminution des phénomènes météorologiques extrêmes ont atténué les pressions sur la sécurité alimentaire. Le Liban a également été retiré de la liste suite à la réduction de l’intensité des opérations militaires.
Cette détérioration de l’insécurité alimentaire survient alors que les graves déficits de financement obligent à réduire les rations alimentaires, ce qui limite la portée des interventions vitales en matière de nutrition et d’agriculture.
« Nous disposons des outils et de l’expérience nécessaires pour réagir, mais sans financement et sans accès, nous ne pouvons pas sauver des vies. Un investissement urgent et soutenu dans l’aide alimentaire et le soutien au redressement est crucial car la fenêtre pour éviter une nouvelle famine dévastatrice se referme rapidement », a insisté Mme McCain.
Le Groupe de Coordination Arabe (ACG) (https://TheACG.org/), deuxième plus grand groupe de financement du développement au monde, a mobilisé collectivement 19,6 milliards de dollars américains pour financer près de 650 opérations dans plus de 90 pays en 2024. Ce financement conséquent a été destiné au développement d’infrastructures destinées à la lutte contre les défis mondiaux tels que le changement climatique et la sécurité alimentaire, ainsi qu’au soutien du commerce international.
Les chefs des institutions membres de l’ACG se sont réunis aujourd’hui à Vienne pour leur 20e réunion annuelle, organisée par le Fonds de l’OPEP pour le développement international (Fonds de l’OPEP). En amont de la quatrième Conférence internationale sur le financement du développement (FFD4), prévue du 30 juin au 3 juillet 2025 en Espagne, le groupe a réaffirmé son engagement à intensifier son soutien financier en faveur du développement durable.
Les trois principaux secteurs soutenus par l’ACG en 2024 étaient: l’énergie (29%), l’agriculture (20%) et le secteur financier (16%). Plus de 45% du financement total ont été alloués à la promotion du commerce mondial, facilitant la circulation des produits essentiels et appuyant les petites et moyennes entreprises.
En 2024, environ 20% des engagements de l’ACG ont été consacrés à l’Afrique, conformément à la promesse de 50 milliards de dollars annoncée par le groupe en novembre 2023. Lors de leur réunion à Vienne aujourd’hui, les chefs des institutions ont réaffirmé leur volonté de renforcer leur soutien aux communautés les plus vulnérables du continent. Cet engagement vise à financer la sécurité et la transition énergétique, la sécurité alimentaire, l’intégration accrue entre les régions arabes et africaines, les initiatives proposées par les femmes et les jeunes, ainsi que le soutien au secteur privé.
Le Groupe de coordination arabe célébrera son 50eme anniversaire en octobre 2025, marquant une étape majeure de son parcours au service du développement durable mondial. Cette occasion historique permettra de revenir sur l’héritage remarquable du Groupe, ses réalisations et les défis surmontés, tout en renouvelant son engagement envers le développement mondial. Cet événement présentera les succès des cinquante dernières années et inspirera un nouvel élan pour proposer des solutions de développement efficaces à travers le monde.
Distribué par APO Group pour Arab Coordination Group (ACG).
A propos du Groupe de coordination arabe (ACG) :
Le Groupe de coordination arabe (ACG) est une alliance stratégique qui apporte une réponse coordonnée au financement du développement. Depuis sa création en 1975, l’ACG a joué un rôle déterminant dans le développement des économies et des communautés pour un avenir meilleur, en accordant plus de 13.000 prêts de développement à plus de 160 pays à travers le monde. Composé de dix fonds de développement, l’ACG est le deuxième plus grand groupe d’institutions de financement du développement dans le monde et travaille dans le monde entier pour soutenir les pays en développement et créer un impact positif et durable. Le Groupe comprend le Fonds d’Abou Dhabi pour le développement, la Banque arabe pour le développement économique en Afrique, le Fonds arabe pour le développement économique et social, le Programme arabe du Golfe pour le développement, le Fonds monétaire arabe, la Banque islamique de développement, le Fonds koweïtien pour le développement économique arabe, le Fonds de l’OPEP pour le développement international, le Fonds du Qatar pour le développement et le Fonds saoudien pour le développement.
Le coup d’envoi de l’examen du Baccalauréat, session de juin 2025 au Bénin a été donné ce lundi 16 juin 2025. Au cours du cérémonial officiel, conjointement présidé par les Ministres Véronique TOGNIFODÉ et Eléonore YAYI LADEKAN, un appel au calme et à la concentration a été lancé à tous les candidats.
C’est le Collège d’Enseignement Général de Sèmè-Podji dans le département de l’Ouémé qui a accueilli le lancement officiel au plan national des premières épreuves écrites de l’examen du Baccalauréat 2025, en présence du Préfet de l’Ouémé, Dr Marie AKPOTROSSOU, du Maire de Sèmè-Podji, Monsieur Jonas GBÈNAMÈTO, et des responsables à divers niveaux du secteur éducatif béninois.
Au total, 79.588 candidats dont 35.667 filles et 43921 garçons composent au plan national pour cet examen. Ils sont répartis dans 140 centres.
Après s’être entretenues avec le corps de la supervision, inspectant les conditions matérielles, les deux Ministres ont parcouru quelques salles où elles ont prodigué aux candidats des conseils allant dans le sens de la concentration, de la sérénité et du travail bien fait. Au Collège d’Enseignement Général de Sèmè-Podji, 876 candidats dont 474 filles composent dans les séries A1 et B.
La Ministre Éléonore YAYI LADÉKAN a noté un lancement en toute sérénité. « Nous avons lancé cet examen sereinement et les échos que nous avons eus montrent que le démarrage a été effectif sur toute l’étendue du territoire national. Nous sommes en face d’un examen bien lancé et il n’y a pas de raison que nous n’obtenions de très bons résultats », a-t-elle confié.
Pour sa part, Madame Véronique TOGNIFODÉ a rassuré : « Dans la continuité d’une année scolaire bien conduite sur toute l’étendue du territoire national, les candidats ont été préparés à bien affronter les épreuves avec confiance. Le Bénin dispose d’un système d’enseignement secondaire et technique cohérent, stable et crédible et qui fait école dans la sous-région. À tous les candidats, je souhaite une très bonne chance ».
En effet, ce lancement traduit une volonté claire des autorités béninoises d’assurer un examen empreint de professionnalisme, de discipline et d’équité. Une organisation qui mise sur la transparence, le respect des règles et une participation accrue des filles, avec des mesures inclusives pour tous les candidats.
Distribué par APO Group pour Gouvernement de la République du Bénin.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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Angola has taken a decisive step in advancing its strategic partnership with the U.S., following a high-level meeting between Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Diamantino Azevedo and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Washington, D.C. on June 11. The meeting – also attended by Angola’s Ambassador to the U.S., Agostinho Van-Dúnem – underscored the shared commitment of both nations to deepen cooperation across oil and gas, critical minerals and renewable energy development.
American companies have long played a leading role in Angola’s oil and gas industry, from offshore exploration to production and infrastructure. Minister Azevedo and Secretary Wright explored opportunities to build on this foundation through new upstream projects, gas monetization, refining and critical mineral development which is vital for clean technology supply chains. They also highlighted Angola’s efforts to attract U.S. capital for renewable energy initiatives, particularly in solar and green hydrogen, as part of the country’s diversification and modernization drive.
“This meeting reflects the robust and evolving partnership between Angola and the United States. We are committed to working together to achieve a balanced energy transition – one that leverages Angola’s natural resources, advances technological cooperation and contributes meaningfully to our economic transformation and development goals,” stated Minister Azevedo.
With more than nine billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 11 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Angola has unveiled over $60 billion in oil and gas investment prospects through its National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG). These span exploration, development, gas processing, refining and midstream infrastructure. A licensing round set to launch this year will offer ten new blocks in the Kwanza and Benguela basins, while 11 additional blocks are open for direct negotiation, alongside five marginal field opportunities.
U.S. firms continue to play a foundational role in Angola’s energy landscape. Earlier this month, ExxonMobil, as a joint venture partner alongside operator TotalEnergies, secured an extension of the PSC for Block 17, enabling continued deepwater exploration and development in this prolific basin and underscoring its long-term commitment to Angola’s offshore sector. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil is advancing the redevelopment of Block 15 – where over 2.6 billion barrels have already been produced – with an 18-well program extending the block’s life by more than two decades and yielding two new discoveries. The company is also undertaking prospective studies on Blocks 17/06 and 32/21, in collaboration with TotalEnergies and ANPG, aiming to identify future drilling targets.
Chevron, through its affiliate Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, is leading Angola’s gas development efforts. The company has ramped up gas supply to 600 million cubic feet per day to the Angola LNG plant and achieved first gas earlier this year from its Sanha Lean Gas Connection Project, which will supply both the Soyo power plants and Angola LNG. Angola LNG – one of sub-Saharan Africa’s few operational LNG export terminals – offers a strategic entry point for U.S. firms into global LNG supply chains. As part of the New Gas Consortium, Chevron is also developing Angola’s first non-associated gas project, set to come online in late 2025 or early 2026.
Downstream and midstream projects are another key pillar of Angola’s energy transformation. Construction is advancing on the $920-million Cabinda Refinery, with U.S. firms engaged in engineering and procurement roles. The U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor – a major infrastructure initiative connecting Angola’s Lobito port to Zambia and the DRC – is poised to boost regional energy transport and industrialization, offering additional opportunities for American companies in logistics, storage and rail-linked energy infrastructure. Complementary investments in storage terminals, fuel distribution and domestic refining capacity are helping Angola reduce its reliance on imports and increase energy self-sufficiency.
The engagement marks a renewed commitment to aligning U.S.-Angola energy collaboration with the goals of sustainable development, energy security and economic modernization.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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OPTIC, Senegal’s leading organization for tech professionals, has worked for three years with the Netherlands Trust Fund (NTF) V project at ITC to improve its services. Together we’ve improved Senegal’s entire digital ecosystem by investing in new skills and opportunities.
Positive spin-offs for Senegal’s digital ecosystem
OPTIC, the Organisation des Professionnels des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication, has a long-standing and fruitful collaboration with ITC. They’ve worked with the current NTF V project, which is now winding down, as well as the previous NTF IV project.
The project supports Senegal’s efforts to grow its economy with digital technology. That includes both information technology (IT) companies, and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms that offer back-office services to international businesses.
‘NTF’s support has enabled us to establish our legitimacy and intensify our efforts in the Senegalese tech ecosystem,’ said Antoine Ngom, President of OPTIC. ‘Dozens of IT and BPO start-ups have benefited from this initiative, not to mention the indirect spin-offs that have benefited the entire tech economy.’
OPTIC has set itself several goals: to create a regulatory environment conducive to growth and innovation; to improve the skills and competitiveness of players on international markets; and to foster partnerships.
‘Our members have been able to seize international development opportunities thanks to personalized coaching sessions, as well as work on their pitch and sharpen their fund-raising skills through specialized training courses. Participation in leading B2B events, both national (SIPEN) and international (VivaTech, Africarena, GITEX International), considerably increased their visibility and expanded their professional network. A 360° diagnosis helped them to identify levers for improving their company’s performance, while certification support opened doors to national and international public procurement markets, synonymous with new growth prospects. The agritech community also benefited from a number of thematic meetings and a mapping of solutions.’
Strengthen achievements and maintain regional influence
OPTIC also received comprehensive, structuring support from the NTF V Project. After a performance diagnosis, OPTIC restructured its governance, revised its fundamental texts, and defined its recruitment needs for the permanent secretariat.
‘Cooperation between OPTIC and the NTF V project has also helped to make the SIPEN trade show a major focal point for players in the African digital economy. And that’s not counting the technical support we’ve provided for workshops, digital mornings and other ThémaTIC breakfasts that benefit Senegal’s Tech community,’ said Ngom.
All these initiatives have contributed to the emergence of the Digital Senegal consortium and to the realization of promising partnerships with players such as Sen Startup. ‘There’s no doubt that the NTF V project has helped OPTIC to strengthen its leadership capabilities and increase its regional influence. We’ve seen a significant increase in membership over the past few years,’ added Ngom, who hopes to build on this positive impact over the long term. Now that the trade organization has secured a plot of land on which to build its future head office, achieving financial autonomy is a new challenge.
‘We want OPTIC to reinforce its position as a key digital player in Senegal and more widely in West Africa. To achieve this, we plan to boost our regional cooperation and support dialogue with public authorities more than ever. To continue our work, diversify our best practices and develop profitable activities, we are launching an appeal to national and international partners,’ he said. Ngom hopes a future NTF VI project will be part of that.
About the project
The Netherlands Trust Fund V (NTF) programme (July 2021 – June 2025) is based on a partnership between the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Trade Centre. NTF V supports SMEs in the digital technology and agribusiness sectors in Benin,Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Uganda. Its ambition is to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable transformation of agri-food systems partly through digital solutions, to improve the international competitiveness of local tech start-ups and to support the implementation of the export strategy of IT&BPO companies.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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This morning, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf convened & presided over a session of the AU Peace Fund Executive Management Committee. He received a comprehensive briefing from H.E. @dagmawit_moges, Director-General of the @AUPeaceFund, & H.E. @Bankole_Adeoye, Commissioner of @AUC_PAPS, on the strategic and progressive utilisation of the Fund.
The Chairperson underscored the Fund’s pivotal role in advancing African-led peace & security initiatives & emphasised the imperative of timely & efficient disbursement of resources in support of stabilisation & conflict prevention efforts across the continent.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
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H.E. Harold Bundu Saffa, Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to Ethiopia & Permanent Representative to the AU, paid a courtesy call on H.E. @ymahmoudali, Chairperson of the AU Commission, to convey a message of congratulations on his election.
They took the opportunity to exchange views on the ongoing efforts to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Guinea & on the broader developments in the West African region.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
The Arab Coordination Group (ACG) (https://TheACG.org/), the world’s second-largest development finance group, extended US$19.6 billion collectively to fund nearly 650 operations in more than 90 countries in 2024. This significant financing was geared towards developing critical infrastructure, addressing global challenges like climate change and food security, and supporting international trade.
The ACG Heads of Institutions gathered in Vienna today for their 20th annual meeting hosted by the OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund). Ahead of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) which is scheduled to take place from 30 June to 3 July 2025 in Spain, the group reaffirmed its commitment to scaling-up financial assistance for sustainable development.
The top three sectors supported by ACG financing last year were energy (29 percent), agriculture (20 percent) and the financial sector (16 percent). Over 45 percent of the total financing promoted global trade, ensuring the movement of critical products and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.
In 2024, approximately 20 percent of the ACG’s commitments were dedicated to Africa, aligned with the US$50 billion pledge made by the group in November, 2023. During their meeting in Vienna today, the Heads of Institutions pledged continued and increasing support to the most vulnerable communities in Africa. The commitment aims to provide financing for energy security and energy transition; food security; enhanced integration of the Arab and African regions; gender and youth initiatives; and private sector support.
The ACG will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in October 2025, marking a significant milestone in its journey of fostering sustainable development worldwide. This momentous occasion will provide an opportunity to reflect on the Group’s remarkable legacy, achievements, and challenges, while also reaffirming its commitment to global development. This event will not only document the Group’s accomplishments over the past fifty years but also inspire renewed commitment to advancing impactful development solutions worldwide.
– on behalf of Arab Coordination Group (ACG).
About the Arab Coordination Group (ACG):
The Arab Coordination Group (ACG) is a strategic alliance that provides a coordinated response to development finance. Since its establishment in 1975, ACG has been instrumental in developing economies and communities for a better future, providing more than 13,000 development loans to over 160 countries around the globe. Comprising ten development funds, ACG is the second-largest group of development finance institutions in the world and works across the globe to support developing nations and create a lasting, positive impact.
The Group comprises the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Arab Gulf Programme for Development, the Arab Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Qatar Fund for Development and the Saudi Fund for Development.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Olivier Walther, Associate Professor in Geography, University of Florida
What’s the connection between roads and conflict in west Africa? This may seem like an odd question. But a study we conducted shows a close relationship between the two.
We are researchers of transnational political violence. We analysed 58,000 violent events in west Africa between 2000 to 2024. Our focus was on identifying patterns of violence in relation to transport infrastructure.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that roads, bridges, pipelines and other transport systems are increasingly attacked across west Africa, but little is known about the factors that explain when, where and by whom.
Violence in west Africa involves a complex mix of political, economic and social factors. Weak governance, corruption, urban-rural inequalities and marginalised populations have been exploited by numerous armed groups, including transnational criminal networks and religious extremists.
West Africa has been one of the world’s most violent regions since the mid 2010s. In 2024 alone, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data initiative recorded over 10,600 events of political violence in the region. These ranged from battles between armed groups, explosions and other forms of remote violence, to attacks on unarmed civilians. An estimated 25,600 people were killed. This has been the status quo in the region for nearly a decade.
The results of our study show that 65% of all the attacks, explosions, and violence against civilians recorded between 2000 and 2024 were located within one kilometre of a road.
Only 4% of all events were located further than 10km from a road. This pattern was consistent across all road types but most pronounced near highways and primary roads.
We think the reason for this pattern is that there is fierce competition between state and non-state actors for access to and use of roads.
Governments need well-developed road networks for a host of reasons, including the ability to govern, enabling economic activity, and security. Roads enable military mobility and reduce potential safe havens for insurgents in remote regions.
Insurgent groups also see transport networks as prime targets. They create opportunities to blockade cities, ambush convoys, kidnap travellers, employ landmines, and destroy key infrastructure.
Our research is part of a long line of work that explored the role of infrastructure in relation to security in west Africa. Our latest research reinforces earlier findings linking the two. Transport networks have become battlegrounds for extremist groups seeking to destabilise states, isolate communities and expand their influence.
The network
The west African road network is vast, estimated at over 709,000km of roads by the Global Roads Inventory Project. It compares unfavourably with other African regions. For example, paved roads remain relatively scarce in west Africa (17% of the regional network) when compared with north Africa (83%).
Poorly maintained roads impose costs on west African countries. They increase transport time of perishable goods, shorten the operational life of trucks, cause more accidents, and reduce social interactions between communities.
Still, significant variations in road quality are found across the region. The percentage of paved roads ranges from a high of 37% in Senegal to just over 7% in Mali. Nigeria has the largest road network in west Africa with an estimated 195,000km, but much of it has deteriorated because of poor maintenance.
Road-related violence is on the rise
We found that road-related attacks have been on the rise since jihadist groups emerged in the mid-2010s. Only 31 ambushes against convoys were reported in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger from 2000-2015, against 497 from 2016-2023.
Attacks frequently occur along the same road segments, such as around Boni in the Gourma Mounts, where Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) conducted nine attacks against Malian forces and Wagner mercenaries between 2019 and 2024.
Violence was the most clustered near roads in 2011, with 87% of all violent events located within 1km of a road. Our analysis shows that, though still high, there’s been a decline post-2000: 59% in 2022 and 60% in 2024. This evolution reflects the ruralisation of conflict in west Africa. As jihadist insurgents target rural areas and small towns more and more, an increasing share of violent events also occurs far away from roads.
We’ve studied the root causes of west Africa’s violence for nearly a decade, documenting the ever-intensifying costs paid by its people. In the process, we’ve uncovered overlooked aspects of the turmoil, including the centrality of the road networks to an understanding of where the violence is happening.
The most dangerous roads of west Africa
Our findings show that violence against transport infrastructure is very unevenly distributed in west Africa and that specific road segments have been repeatedly targeted. This was particularly the case in the Central Sahel, Lake Chad basin, and western Cameroon.
For example, the 350km ring road linking Bamenda to Kumbo and Wum in Cameroon is the most violent road in west Africa, with 757 events since 2018, due to the conflict between the government and the Ambazonian separatists.
The longest segments of dangerous roads are in Nigeria, particularly those connecting Maiduguri in Borno State to Damaturu, Potiskum, Biu and Bama.
In the central Sahel, the road between Mopti/Sévaré and Gao is by far the most violent transport axis, with 433 events since the beginning of the civil war in Mali in 2012. South of Gao, National Road 17 leading to the Nigerien border, and National Road 20 heading east toward Ménaka have experienced 177 and 139 events respectively since the Islamic State – Sahel Province (ISSP) intensified its activities in the region in 2017.
In Burkina Faso, all the roads leading to Djibo near the border with Mali have experienced high levels of violence since the early 2020s.
Building transport infrastructure to promote peace
Roads are an important part of state counterinsurgency strategies and a strategic target for local militants. Yes, as our work highlights, transport infrastructure is largely ignored in debates that emphasise more state interventions as a means of combating insecurity. Sixty years after the independence of many west African countries, road accessibility remains elusive in the region.
Peripheral cities such as Bardaï, Bilma, Kidal and Timbuktu, where rebel movements have historically developed, are still not connected to the national network by tarmac roads.
The duality of the transport infrastructure, as both a facilitator and target of violence, has put government forces at a disadvantage. Regular forces are heavily constrained by the sparsity and poor conditions of the road network, which makes them vulnerable to attacks without necessarily allowing them to project their military power over long distances.
Rather than building transport infrastructure, states have focused on strengthening security by investing in military bases. The military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have further reinforced this trend, with the creation of a joint force by the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States.
Strengthening security has taken precedence over developmental support for peripheral communities, who experience the worst of the violence.
– Highways to hell: west Africa’s road networks are the preferred battleground for terror groups – https://theconversation.com/highways-to-hell-west-africas-road-networks-are-the-preferred-battleground-for-terror-groups-258517
