Sahel Region

The Sahel Region countries, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, have recently formalized a mutual defense pact named the “Alliance of Sahel States” to boost their collective security and combat potential threats of armed rebellion and external aggression.

About the Sahel Region:

• The Sahel Region is a region in Africa, which lies at the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south.
• It includes from west to east parts of-
  • Northern- Senegal, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia
  • Southern– Mauritania, Algeria, Niger,
  • Central Mali, Cameroon and Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan.
• Historically, the western part of the Sahel was known as the Sudan region.

Characteristics of the Sahel Region:

• It characterises by a hot semi-arid climate, which stretches across the south-central latitudes of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
• In the Sahel there are frequent shortages of food and water due to the dry harsh climate.
• The region has high population, very high birth-rates across the region.
  • Niger has the world’s highest fertility rate.
• Jihadist insurgent groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State, and al-Qaeda frequently carry out major attacks in some parts of the western Sahel.

Ref: Source