NAIROBI, Kenya: Africa is home to a rich tapestry of cultures, histories and identities that have intertwined to form a complex social fabric.
But there is perhaps no other region that better exemplifies the continent’s resulting political and social complexity than the Sahel.
The Sahel is located between the Sahara desert in the northwest and the savannah of Sudan in the east and stretches for more than 5,000 kilometers across 14 countries.
The arid climate of the Sahel has left the region vulnerable to drought and creeping desertification, contributing to periodic flare-ups of conflict and political violence.
It has witnessed a series of military coups in recent months and years, dealing a heavy blow to the region’s political stability and once-promising democratic transition, creating a new era of insecurity and uncertainty.
The July 26 coup in Niger was the latest to hit the region after similar takeovers in Mali and Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, on the eastern flank of the Sahel, Sudan remains in the throes of internal strife, with rival military factions vying for power.
Middle Eastern states such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt have historically influenced the Sahel through trade, migration and cultural exchange.
Many Sahelian tribes have strong historical links with Arab communities, fostered by trans-Saharan trade routes and the spread of Islam. These ties influenced language, religion and social customs, creating a unique blend of cultures in the region.
At the heart of this complexity, however, is tribalism—an age-old phenomenon that has shaped and strained the dynamics of nations.
The Sahel is home to many ethnic groups, from the farming communities of Songhai and Bambara to the nomadic Fulani and Amazigh.
In this vast and diverse space, where boundaries blur and ethnic groups intermingle, understanding the role of tribal connections becomes paramount in deciphering the region’s past, present and future.
Tribal ties in the Sahel and the Middle East have often intersected with the emergence of various armed groups.
Instead, the historical interplay between ethnic and tribal groups has given rise to organized activities that range from legitimate trade to illicit trade.
These activities have historically focused on specific groups that had influence over trade routes, resources, or strategic locations.
As borders were drawn in the colonial and post-colonial periods, tribes found themselves separated or enclosed within new nation-states, fueling tensions and rivalries that persist to this day.
Experts say ethnic interactions in the region are a mix of harmony and discord, camaraderie and suspicion.
“The Fulani of West Africa and other groups are a testament to the complexity of ethnic dynamics,” Aneliese Bernard, director of Washington-based consulting firm Strategic Stabilization Advisors, told Arab News.
“As certain groups have taken control of illicit trade and wielded power, some communities have been sidelined, a discontent that has made them vulnerable to recruitment and targeting by emerging armed groups.
“Then other groups started stigmatizing them, which made it even more difficult to live together.”
However, the role of tribal connections in the emergence of armed groups is complex and understanding it requires a thorough appreciation of history, commitment and sensitivity.
“Rather than directly giving rise to extremist groups, certain ethnic and tribal groups have historically played a central role in a variety of organized activities, including illicit trade and control of specific resources. This dynamic existed before modern colonization and demarcation in the region,” said Bernard.
“Over time, certain groups gained control over criminal activity, and this control was not limited to one group. Access to weapons and organized operations have allowed some groups to dominate specific illicit trades such as narcotics.
As some tribes benefited from the prevailing political and socio-economic environment, new leaders emerged to benefit from the lack of development that continues to plague the region.
Beatrice Bianchi, a political analyst and expert on the Sahel from the Italian think tank Med-Or Foundation, draws attention to the case of the Islamist group Ansar Ul-Islam based in Burkina Faso.
Bianchi said the group primarily recruits from the Fulani ethnic population and “takes advantage of local frustrations due to impoverishment where tribal connections play a role.”
“This has the effect of contamination between communities in the free border area,” she said.
The Sahel’s ethnic diversification makes security and state-building more difficult for African governments. Therefore, navigating the sensitivities of different groups and addressing historical grievances require a more nuanced approach.
Development efforts, often led by external actors, have struggled with an inability to understand the intricacies of local cultures and identities, leading to policies that inadvertently overlook or undermine these foundations.
The region’s colonial past, during which the western Sahel was colonized by France in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as interregional interactions, have influenced language and identity.
“While colonial languages serve as common forms of communication, they also contributed to a sense of unity among different populations,” said Bernard.
The downside, she explained, is that the colonial imposition of foreign languages has sometimes eroded native languages, threatening cultural heritage.
This language erosion is reflected in the challenges of governance, development and diplomacy, where lack of fluency in local languages can hinder effective engagement.
