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Of the African regions now suffering crisis, conflict, and threats to peaceful normality, the Sahel is among the most challenging—geographically vast, with a tough arid environment exposed to the pressures of climate change, a thin economic base, and some of the world’s highest levels of poverty. But, it is also a region characterized by a strong culture of collaborative intergovernmental action in tackling common problems, and it is set within the wider context of a West Africa with a long track record of peer review in support of essential standards of governance, and common engagement in conflict resolution and confronting threats to security. This chapter tracks the evolution of efforts to contain the threats to peace and security in the Sahel—with particular reference to Mali—threats that have become gradually more serious over the past 15 years, despite a steady reinforcement of the national, regional, and international campaign to stabilize the region.

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