Zawaya

Improving quality of life first as a line of first defence

By: Abdelaziz Karraky

The mysterious death of Ibrahim Ag Bahanga will certainly cast its shadow on the Sahel region, for an unknown period of time, due to many reasons, mainly:

• The nature of his organization, its structure, and its ability to find a new leadership;

• The nature of the organization’s sub-structures, and their inter-relations;

• The intellectual foundations of the rebellion;

• The length of time required to achieve stability in Libya.

All these factors combined may impact the changes that the Tuareg rebel movement will witness. This movement has always affected the Sahel region, which is lacking many basic life conditions – including infrastructure and natural resources -, and suffering from poverty.

Given the nature of the Tuareg community, the insurgency movement is not likely to end as a result of its leader’s death, because the suffering of the Tuareg is not related to one man. Besides, al-Qaeda is close to the area and will not remain idle, especially that many types of weapons that were difficult to obtain in the past, have now become widely available thanks to the Libyan crisis, and easy to smuggle into the Sahel’s vast deserts. Such conditions may lead al-Qaeda to seek similar alliances to the Taliban’s in the Sahel, by cooperating with some Tuareg rebels in order to endanger security and stability in the region. This is also likely to happen in Tindouf with the Polisario.

If the Sahel gets the same support the Libyan people received to embrace freedom, and if attention is given to sustainable development, then the region will enter a new era where people will challenge the harshness of nature. However, the Sahel countries cannot achieve that on their own; and this places a huge responsibility on developed countries to encourage investment in the region, namely by fighting desertification and drilling for water. Such projects will encourage stability and create a new lifestyle. Neighbouring countries, especially Morocco and Algeria, ought to help the Sahel countries by offering human resources training in their universities and institutes. Moreover, Morocco should transfer its experience in human development to the Sahel, as it proved being effective in fighting poverty and vulnerability.

Such initiatives will not be achieved as long as the Sahara issue remains unsolved, and keeps hindering the course of the Great Maghreb. This region has all the required qualifications to become a huge economic power that can achieve security in the Mediterranean, and lead all Sahel countries towards progress. Such development will make people forget about immigration, and aspire for a life that will restore their dignity, and give a meaning to their rights.