Attachments
I. Introduction
1. The present report covers the period from 1 July to 30 November 2024. It contains an overview of developments and trends in West Africa and the Sahel and the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), as well as progress in the implementation of the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel, and an update on the situation in the Lake Chad basin, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2349 (2017).
II. Developments and trends in West Africa and the Sahel
2. The political environment continued to be marked by uncertainty about political transition timelines in countries that experienced unconstitutional changes of government. Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger held the first summit of Heads of State of the Alliance of Sahel States in Niamey on 6 July, at which they announced the establishment of a confederation and reiterated that their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was “irrevocable”. By contrast, Guinea affirmed that it would remain within the Community.
3. Electoral campaigns intensified in Ghana, where the key contenders for the general election on 7 December pledged fiscal stability, job creation, economic transformation and growth, and in Senegal, which held legislative elections on 17 November, while the legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau were postponed. Preparations were under way in Cabo Verde for local elections in December 2024 and in Côte d’Ivoire for the presidential election in 2025. Constitutional reform processes were ongoing in several countries. In the Gambia, the gazetting of a modified draft constitution reopened public debate on the process, notably on the issue of presidential executive powers. Togo proceeded with the implementation of its revised Constitution, while in Sierra Leone there was a renewed spirit of engagement and solidarity, demonstrated by the good faith implementation of the Agreement for National Unity of October 2023 and the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee.
4. Central Sahel continued to grapple with complex challenges, including insecurity, political instability, humanitarian crises, environmental degradation and socioeconomic hardship. The security situation remained highly volatile, mainly due to the activities of terrorist and other non-State armed groups, which exploit local grievances and instability to recruit members and launch military operations. Despite progress by the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad basin, strained relations among some countries and a lack of consensus on the region’s security architecture, compounded by geopolitical dynamics, impeded effective collaboration in tackling the wider threats posed by terrorism and transnational organized crime.
5. Recent widespread flooding, especially in Ghana, Liberia, Mali, the Niger and Nigeria, exacerbated security and humanitarian challenges, further undermining livelihoods and complicating humanitarian responses.