SIPRI Policy Paper CONFLICT MEDIATION 58 AND PEACEBUILDING January 2021 IN THE SAHEL The Role of Maghreb Countries in an African Framework virginie baudais, amal bourhrous and dylan o’driscoll STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. The Governing Board is not responsible for the views expressed in the publications of the Institute. GOVERNING BOARD Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair (Sweden) Dr Vladimir Baranovsky (Russia) Espen Barth Eide (Norway) Jean-Marie Guéhenno (France) Dr Radha Kumar (India) Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra (Algeria) Dr Patricia Lewis (Ireland/United Kingdom) Dr Jessica Tuchman Mathews (United States) DIRECTOR Dan Smith (United Kingdom) Signalistgatan 9 SE-169 72 Solna, Sweden Telephone: + 46 8 655 9700 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.sipri.org Conflict Mediation and Peacebuilding in the Sahel The Role of Maghreb Countries in an African Framework SIPRI Policy Paper No. 58 virginie baudais, amal bourhrous and dylan o’driscoll January 2021 © SIPRI 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of SIPRI or as expressly permitted by law. Contents Preface v Acknowledgements vi Summary vii Abbreviations viii 1. Introduction 1 Figure 1.1. Map of the Maghreb and the Sahel 2 2. The crisis in the Sahel: From domestic rebellions to regional 5 destabilization The Tuareg question and the marginalization of the northern regions 5 of Mali and Niger From the Malian crisis to the Sahel breakdown 7 Figure 2.1. Number of battles, explosions and incidents of violence 8 against civilians, 1 January 2019–31 October 2020 3. The Maghreb and the Sahel 11 Connections between the Maghreb and the Sahel 11 Maghreb countries and the Sahel crisis: Diplomatic relations and 14 conflict mediation 4. The peacekeeping, peacebuilding and security architecture 20 in the Sahel International and external interventions 21 National efforts by states in the region 25 Regional frameworks 27 Table 4.1. Engagement in the Sahel at the international level 22 Table 4.2. Engagement in the Sahel by states in the region 24 Table 4.3. Engagement in the Sahel at the regional level 26 5. A different approach to the Sahel: Greater coordination and 30 local peacebuilding Mediation at the national and regional levels 30 Mediation at the local level 31 Local peacebuilding 32 6. Conclusions and recommendations 34 Recommendations 34 Preface Conflict dynamics in the Sahel are complex. The region faces a multidimensional crisis that includes the proliferation of terrorist groups, criminal networks, enviro nmental pressures, state weaknesses and severe governance problems. In addition to this internal context, the Sahel crisis has been affected by external factors, such as the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and the civil war in Libya. Its deeper causes can be found in the structural factors of fragility in the sociopolitical dynamics of internal divisions, serial uprisings and weak states. Having started as a largely Malian conflict, the crisis now affects the whole Sahel region and, despite the deployment of military and security operations, it continues to get worse. A new approach is needed. The authors of this Policy Paper—Virginie Baudais, Amal Bourhrous and Dylan O’Driscoll—identify regionally and locally driven solutions as one such way to support development and promote peace. They highlight how stronger involv­ ement of the Maghreb countries that share borders with the crisis­affected countries to their south could be a critical factor in building the foundations of stability and starting to meet longer­term development objectives. Given their engagement with Sahel crises in the past and the multiple linkages that connect the two regions, the role of these countries—and especially Algeria and Morocco— could be pivotal. Despite challenges, African­led initiatives are perceived to be more legitimate and to have a deeper understanding of local contexts. The authors thus recommend that the African Union, with its emphasis on endeavouring to bring ‘African solutions to African problems’, provides the framework for coordinated action in the Sahel. This paper offers a fresh assessment of the situation in the Sahel in the context of relations with neighbouring Maghreb countries. The authors’ insightful analysis and recommendations will be of interest to policymakers in Africa, in Europe and elsewhere, as well as to local actors and other stakeholders involved in mediation and peacebuilding efforts in the Sahel. Acknowledgements We would like to thank Arthur Boutellis, Luc van de Goor, Dr Grégory Chauzal, Dr Jaïr van der Lijn, Kheira Tarif and Adib Bencherif for their feedback on this paper. However, any errors or flaws remain our responsibility alone. We would also like to thank Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra for giving us his time to discuss Algeria’s historical role in the Sahel. Thanks are also owed to the SIPRI Outreach Department for its editorial and communications efforts towards producing, disseminating and promoting the paper. Finally, we would like to thank the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs for its generosity in providing financial support for the project. However, the views expressed are those of the authors alone. The authors Stockholm, December 2020 Summary The Sahel and the Maghreb are connected through multiple human, cultural, religious and economic linkages. These cross­regional connections mean that instability in one part of the Maghreb–Sahel region can have a substantial impact on other parts. At the same time, these connections also highlight the important role that Maghreb countries can play in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in the Sahel. Indeed, although the geopolitical rivalries in the Maghreb have often created conditions for instability in the Sahel, Maghreb states remain indispensable for reaching a solution to the Sahel crisis and they can contribute much to conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts. The Sahel crisis started as a largely Malian conflict related to the Tuareg question and to grievances about the marginalization of populations in the northern regions of Mali (and Niger). It has subsequently evolved to become a multi dimensional regional crisis that involves the proliferation of terrorist groups, criminal networks, state weakness and severe governance problems. As conflict dynamics in the Sahel have become more complex, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive approach that addresses questions related to state capacity, viol­ ent extremism, environmental challenges and socio­economic problems. Many of these challenges have a regional dimension and can only be addressed at the regional level. In addition, any attempt to solve the crisis has to take into account the regional interdependencies of the Sahel and the Maghreb and the unique ways in which actors in the region engage with the conflicts depending on their particular perceptions, interests, positions and relations with each other. Based on its historical involvement in the Sahel, Algeria has played a leader­ ship role in mediation processes. Morocco’s increasing influence in the region could also help support peacebuilding efforts. However, the domestic problems of Maghreb states and the rivalry between Algeria and Morocco may hinder their ability to have a positive influence in the Sahel unless their engagement takes place in the context of a wider African framework—in particular through the African Union (AU)—and with the support of other regional and international actors. Currently, numerous actors are involved in peacebuilding in the Sahel, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the AU, the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel), the United Nations, the European Union (EU), Algeria and France. They operate through various mechanisms, with different agendas and approaches, which necessarily creates problems of coordination and overlap. A coordinated, inclusive, and African­led approach is needed that inte­ grates relevant parties; otherwise, there is a risk that peacebuilding efforts will be undermined by excluded actors that seek to pursue their own agendas through other frameworks. With adequate support from international actors, the AU has the potential to provide such a framework and attempt to reconcile competing initiatives in ways that place the needs and the security of local populations at the centre of peacebuilding processes. This would require a coordinated regional strategy that not only focuses on mediation at the national level but also integrates local level mediation and community­level peacebuilding. Abbreviations AFISMA African­led International Support Mission to Mali AQIM al­Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ATNMC Alliance Touarègue du Nord­Mali pour le Changement (Tuareg Alliance of North Mali for Change) AU African Union CEMOC Comité d’état­major opérationnel conjoint (Joint Operational Staff Committee) CEN­SAD Community of Sahel–Saharan States (from a and ,س ,transliteration of the initial letters of Sahel (in Arabic ,ص ,Sahara CMA Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad (Coordination of Azawad Movements) CNSP Comité national pour le salut du people (National Committee for the Salvation