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In managing international rivers, governments are .subject to two different boundaries. The socio-politically constmcted boundaries govemed by sovereignty and the physical boundaries imposed by the tiver's hydrology. The existence of a hydrological interdependency within an international basin means that "how" it is managed is important in constructing certainty in water supply. We compare two experiences frorn Europe and Africa to see the effect of sovereignty on the management of a basin's hydro-interdependency. Pottugal and Spain have followed a Westphalian interpretation of sovereignty in the Guadiana basin to develop their physical infrastructure unilaterally and "sever" the hydro-interdependeney. In contrast, using an operadonal interpretation of sovereignty, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal have chosen to embrace the Senegal river's hydro-interdependency and develop it jointly. A key lesson that emerges is that the approach used determines the pattem of resilience constructed in each system.

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La situation climatique du Sahel montre une péjoration pluvieuse depuis 1968. L'analyse de huit stations pluviométriques appartenant à des domaines climatiques différents permet de mesurer l'ampleur du phénomène. Cette situation se répercute sur l'écoulement des grands organismes fluviaux de la région. La faiblesse des débits du Niger à Koulikoro, du Sénégal à Bakel et de la Gambie à Gouloumbou montre que la tendance généralisée à la baisse des précipitations affecte durablement les ressources en eau de surface du Sahel.