In July, Niger’s elected President Mohammed Bazoum was deposed by a military coup. The military takeover in Niamey lengthens the list of unconstitutional power-grabs that have shaken the Sahel over the past three years. Old alliances have changed with the disengagement of France and the withdrawal of the Western security apparatus, while Bamako, Ouagadougou, and now, maybe, Niamey turn to Moscow and other partners for new alliances. Meanwhile, the action of the jihadist groups is intensifying, as well as the manifestations of violence against the population: between military efforts and geostrategic turnarounds, the control of big portions of the territories of central Sahel is increasingly uncertain, and so are the prospects for the development of these regions.
The coup d’état in Niamey, hitherto the focal point of the Western apparatus in the Sahel, speeds up this process, bringing in new questions. How should Europe and its member states dialogue with governments in the region? What trends characterise jihadist activism and violence in the Sahel? What are the prospects for truly beneficial economic and human development for the population?

The event will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, September 19 from 18:00 CEST.

In cooperation with

Panel Composition

EMANUELA DEL RE | Special Representative for the Sahel, European Union; Former Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Senior Associate Research Fellow, ISPI

ABDOULAYE MAR DIEYE | Special Coordinator for development in the Sahel, United Nations 

JEAN-HERVE JEZEQUEL | Director Sahel Project, International Crisis Group

JOSEPH SIEGLE | Director of Research, Africa Center for Strategic Studies

Chair

GIOVANNI CARBONE | Head of the Africa Programme, ISPI; Professor of Political Science, Università degli Studi di Milano