The Sahel, which is a large semi-arid transitional zone located between Senegal and Eritrea is one of the most environmentally delicate parts of the world. During the last 50 years, it has undergone a fast process of desertification due to changes in climate, overgrazing, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural activities. These forces have turned fertile lands into desolate plains thus washing away livelihoods and competition to survive escalates.
The United Nations Environment Programme reports that around 46 million individuals in the Sahel are directly inconvenienced by the land degradation and climate disturbances. Out of them, 13.5 million are internally displaced with a strong number compelled to migrate as a result of failed crop harvests and loss of livestock. As temperatures keep increasing by over 2 deg C by 2040 and rainfall becoming even more unpredictable, agricultural and pastoral societies are subjected to escalating food shortages and migrations.
The Sahara Desert is unabatedly extending southward at a rate of approximately 60 kilometers annually at the expense of arable land and pastures. Over 23 million individuals within the Sahel were facing acute food insecurity by 2022, which will only increase going forward as socioeconomic instability is exacerbated by the environmental shocks. This has led to a humanitarian disaster as well as a major factor in generating regional insecurity.
Pastoralist Vs. Farmer Clashes: Competition Over Diminishing Resources
Environmental crisis has been one of the factors that intensified historic conflicts between pastoralist herders and the sedentary farming communities. With the reduction and depletion of grazing land and drying of water sources, conflicts on their use have become more common and violent. These conflicts have been exacerbated by the near disappearance of Lake Chad whose surface has reduced by nearly 90 percent during the past 50 years.
In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, frequent outbreaks of wars between the herders and the farmers have caused the displacement of complete villages. In Burkina Faso alone, 1.1 million people have been displaced since 2023, the vast majority being small-scale farmers who were deprived of land and livestock. Such localized conflicts tend to turn into revenge killings cycles, which are deteriorating the traditional conflict settlement methods and destabilizing the state power.
Lack of capacity of the governments to control such controversies or have balanced distribution of resources has left a vacuum that is taken advantage of by militia groups. The disappointment with environmental and economic deprivation among the many rural citizens, particularly the marginalized youths, is reflected into being vulnerable to extremist recruitment discourse.
Jihadist Exploitation Of Environmental Grievances And Resource Conflicts
Ecological desperation has been successfully turned into a weapon by armed groups like Boko Haram, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), and al-Qaeda affiliates. They take over societies ruined by environmental degradation, provide them with monetary rewards, foodstuffs and security in return for loyalty. They describe themselves as champions of the forgotten populations that have been left by central governments and are recruiting these local populations with the hardship caused by climate change.
Control Of Strategic Resources
Territorial control has also been employed by the Jihadist groups to control territories through control of resources where they need to strategically position themselves near rivers, water points and trade routes. Through their control over the supply of the basic necessities, they strengthen their grip within the community, bully them, and reinstate resistance by the locals. In the North of Mali and western Niger, militants collect taxes on herders who use grazing paths and wells and convert environmental resources into tools of control.
The Feedback Loop Of Violence And Degradation
This trend is a cycle that results in a crisis. Environmental destruction becomes a cause of poverty and displacement, which, in its turn, leads to recruitment and geographical expansion of extremist groups. Having formed, it interferes with agriculture, destroys the infrastructure, and prevents humanitarian activities that only exacerbate the state of the environment. This cycle stipulates that ecological terrorism is not only a symptom of environmental crisis but it is also a cause that leads to the acceleration of environmental crisis.
Stakeholder Perspectives On Addressing The Ecological-Security Nexus
Climate change is growing to be characterized by the United Nations, World Food Programme, and African Union as a threat multiplier to the Sahel instability. In 2025, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once again repeated the argument that environmental stressors, including when combined with poor governance, are catalysts of violent extremism. The UN Office of West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) reports point out that insecurity is going to keep on increasing unless environmental and peacebuilding approaches are put in place in unison.
Billions have been pledged to the international donors through stabilization and climate adaptation programs but there is a problem of coordination. The lack of long-term performance of such initiatives is hindered by fragmentation of implementation and low participation of the local level.
Regional Governments And Policy Limitations
The Sahel governments are aware of the crisis of ecological degradation but have limited capacity and funds available to them. In places such as Mali and Niger, the politics and frequent coup have made it hard to continue with policies. When other national priorities like counterterrorism and border security are competing, environmental programs are usually pushed to the periphery.
The institutional weaknesses have left the expansive rural areas with no efficient governance opportunities, and therefore, non-state actors, such as militants and the self-defense militias, can fill the void. This state’s absence undermines the trust of the people and supports the views that extremism is the only way to bring sanity to a world that is becoming more and more chaotic.
The Promise And Challenges Of The Great Green Wall
Great Green Wall, a project by the African Union which was introduced in 2007, is to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by planting trees and restoring ecosystems on the southern side of the Sahara. The project is projected as an ecological and socio-economic plan which aims at development of 10 million green jobs and livelihoods of millions.
In 2025, however, the improvements have been lopsided. There are numerous parts of the wall that are not finished because of shortage of funds, political instability and extreme weather conditions. In some regions the seedlings have died due to poor weather or they have not been maintained by others. However, small accomplishments in Senegal and Niger demonstrate that reforestation and sustainable grazing are both local initiatives that can bring tangible recovery when appropriately encouraged.
Localized Adaptation And Community Empowerment
More development organizations are promoting the idea of bottom-up approaches that involve the local communities in the management of natural resources. Integration of the traditional ecological knowledge and the current agricultural practices have been promising in stabilizing the soil fertility and curbing the migration pressure. Programs targeting women cooperatives and youth training services provide alternative sources of livelihood against the extremist recruitment channels.
Limitations on vulnerability are now turning into sustainable water management and climate-resilient agriculture. Community empowerment protects the environment and the social fabric by enabling communities to safeguard their common resources, which are essential in restoring confidence among the divided communities.
Governance, Security, And Climate Synergy
The next frontier to Sahelian stability is integrating environmental policy with security planning. Analysts also note that counterterrorism activities should not be confined to military containment, but should also involve ecological repair and economic encompassment. The ecological bases of extremism can be broken by strengthening local governance, distributing land fairly and encouraging the management of resources in forms that are sensitive to conflict.
As of 2025, regional coalitions such as the G5 Sahel and ECOWAS are exploring joint frameworks linking security operations with climate adaptation funding. Though still in early stages, these efforts mark a gradual shift toward comprehensive resilience planning.
Toward A Sustainable Future For The Sahel
The convergence of climate degradation and violent extremism in the Sahel represents one of the most complex challenges of the 21st century. Ecological terrorism thrives where despair meets neglect, where environmental collapse translates into social breakdown. The region’s future stability will depend on recognizing that security cannot exist without sustainability, and that replanting trees may ultimately be as crucial as disarming militants.
Addressing the ecological roots of conflict demands sustained international commitment and regional innovation. As global temperatures continue to rise, the Sahel stands as both a warning and a lesson proof that in the struggle between environment and extremism, the balance of peace may hinge not on power, but on preservation.
