Abstract
More than 40 years after a catastrophic famine struck the region, the Sahel has once again become the focus of global attention. Poor economic performance, growing instability, and deteriorating climate conditions have combined to produce a vicious circle of increased poverty, instability, and communal violence. By drying out sources of livelihoods for populations mainly dependent on natural resources, climate change reinforces long-existing rivalries and increasingly triggers violence. In this paper, we argue that while climate change is a proximate cause of violence, institutional failures and clientelism1 are the actual root causes.
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Authors
Ahmadou Aly Mbaye
Nonresident Senior Fellow
- Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative
@AhmadouAlyMbaye
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Footnotes
- The Oxford Handbook of Political Science defines “political clientelism” as “giving material goods in return for electoral support, where the criterion of distribution that the patron uses is simply: did you/will you support me?”
The Oxford Handbook of Political Science defines “political clientelism” as “giving material goods in return for electoral support, where the criterion of distribution that the patron uses is simply: did you/will you support me?”
