Question 4: Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d’état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statement?
Answer: A
The Sahel region of Africa is a 3,860-kilometre arc-like land mass lying to the immediate south of the Sahara Desert and stretching east-west across the breadth of the African continent. The Sahel region encompasses through parts of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan and Eritrea.
Statement I correct. There has been growing instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region of Africa. For example, in 2022, conflict-related fatalities in these countries increased by over 40 percent. The deterioration of the security situation over the past decade has caused a humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people fleeing violence in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, according to UNHCR.
Statement II is correct, and Statement II is the correct explanation for Statement I.
The area has also seen a high prevalence of coups d’état, with military juntas currently ruling in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Sudan.
Over the last three years, the African Sahel region has witnessed a wave of coups d’état in seven countries. Five military coups in five countries, in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, and Gabon, while two other nations— Chad, and Sudan—had constitutional coups. For instance, Mali had two coups, in 2020 and 2021. Burkina Faso also had a coup in January 2022. In July-August 2023, Niger experienced a military coup, ousting the democratically elected President. All these coups had led to security and economic failures in the region and had led to growing instability.
