Credit:  Sara Abraham  /  ©Diplomatic Times  /   “A Solidarity Côte d’Ivoire”  billboard in  Côte d’Ivoire commercial city Abidjan after President Alassane Ouattara wins bid for third term Nov. 3, 2020.

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW  YORK –  Amid the continued deadly terror and ethnic violence that plagued the West Africa Sahel region, there were bright spots as five presidential elections took place and countries effectively contained the COVID-19 pandemic. While elections are one-time events, “democracy is a constant process of deliberation and consultation” where dialogue provides an “important arena for the building of national consensus”, the top UN official in West Africa told the Security Council on Monday.  Against the backdrop of five presidential, three legislative and two local elections in the region which have taken place in recent months, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), told ambassadors that electoral management bodies have “demonstrated impressive technical capacity to organize and conduct elections”.  In presenting the latest report on West Africa and the Sahel from the Secretary-General, the UN envoy highlighted the presidential election in Burkina Faso, saying that “dialogue between political actors led to a unanimously accepted outcome, with the losing contenders congratulating President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré for his second term and committing to work together to tackle insecurity”.   

(credit: UN Photo)  Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS)

“But despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the electoral calendar was maintained, and the polls overall went well. Electoral Management Bodies have demonstrated impressive technical capacity to organize and conduct five presidential, three legislative, and two local elections in West Africa,”

stated Mohamed Ibn Chambas. He further noted that increasingly, elections have also been funded exclusively from national budgets

Since the previous report on the West Africa Sahel region, the overall security situation there has become more complex. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated existing conflict drivers and fuelled a radicalized narrative by extremist groups who blame Governments for the adverse impacts of the pandemic. The central Sahel remained vulnerable to multidimensional emergencies, governance deficits and weak institutions, violent extremism, the effects of climate change, food insecurity, rapid demographic growth and large-scale forced displacement.

West African Countries Effectively Contained The COVID-19 Pandemic

A coordinated regional response was led by the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, in his capacity as ECOWAS Champion on the Fight against COVID-19, in collaboration with the West African Health Organization. As at 11 December, West Africa and the Sahel had registered approximately 260,000 COVID-19 cases and 6,439 deaths. While the public health impact was not as devastating as initially feared, related restrictions, such as the closure of markets, quarantines and curfews, deeply affected livelihoods, traditional pastoral movements and access to food for the most vulnerable.  However, despite relatively low caseloads and fatality numbers, the pandemic has had severe socioeconomic, political and security repercussions in the region, which risk reversing gains in socioeconomic development and progress with regard to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Terrorist Activities Become Intertwined with intercommunity and Farmer-Herder Conflict

This is compounding a precarious security situation and acute humanitarian needs in large parts of the Sahel. While Governments in the subregion responded effectively to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the pandemic has triggered a severe economic slowdown, which, along with climatic conditions, has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation, according to the report.

Attacks continued in Burkina Faso, predominantly in the Est, Sahel and Centre – Nord Regions, leading to increased violence against civilians, displacements and terrorist, violent extremist and criminal groups taking control of territory.

In Mali, attacks by violent extremist groups against security forces and civilian populations continued. Between 10 and 13 July, clashes between security forces and demonstrators caused 14 civilian deaths (11 men and three boys) and led to the resignation of the President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, and his Government. On 3 September, at least 10 Malian soldiers were killed in an attack in Guiré on the border with Mauritania. On 12 October, violent extremists killed 25 people, including 13 soldiers, in multiple attacks in Sokoura, central Mali, near the border with Burkina Faso, burning down an army base and ambushing troops sent as reinforcements. In this fragile security context, an agreement was reached between the transitional authorities and extremist groups, including Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, to exchange approximately 200 prisoners suspected or convicted of serious crimes in exchange for four hostages, including the prominent opposition figure, Soumaïla Cissé, according to the UN report.

Elections were held in Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and the Niger. 

Ivory Coast Was Most Anticipated Election in West Africa 

In Côte d’Ivoire, the presidential election was held on 31 October amid tensions over the incumbent’s third-term candidacy , the non-inclusivity of the electoral process and the boycott of the polls by the two main opposition parties, the Parti démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire – Rassemblement démocratique africain, led by Henri Konan Bédié, a former President, and the Front populaire ivoirien, led by Pascal Affi N’Guessan, a former Prime Minister.

Electoral violence, which started on 10 August, resulted in at least 85 fatalities and 484 injured.  On 9 November, the Constitutional Council declared the incumbent President, Alassane Ouattara, the winner, with 94.27 per cent of the votes. Following the polls, the opposition unilaterally announced the creation of a national transitional council under the leadership of Mr. Bédié. In reaction, the international community called upon opposition stakeholders to respect the constitutional order, national institutions and favour dialogue. During his swearing-in, on 14 December, 2020  the incumbent President pledged, among other things, to establish a ministry for national reconciliation and called upon all political parties to enter into a dialogue in order to strengthen peace and stability in the country.