A lot is happening in the Sahel region. With recent coups in Mali and Burkina Faso, these countries are now embarking on transitions processes that will define their future.
And in Niger, the country’s first democratic transfer of power in 2021 marks a new milestone for the young democracy.

Our event

On 11 October, NIMD teamed up with PAX for Peace to organize an event on relations between the Sahel and the Netherlands in this changing world. We wish to explore what the region’s new developments mean for Dutch policy, starting with understanding the perspectives of people within the region.

We explored how people look at these political and social developments, and how they value the response from national and international actors.

NIMD Country Director Cheickna Yaranangoré shared his perspectives on the situation in Burkina Faso and how the Netherlands can support inclusive democracy in the country. 

The programme

16.00 – 16.05 Welcome by moderator Thijs Berman (NIMD, Executive Director)

16.05 – 16.15 Introduction by Grace Ellis of think tank Clingendael

16.15 – 16.40 First round table on perspectives from the region with Celia D’Almeida (NIMD, Mali), Cheickna Yaranangore (NIMD, Burkina) and Ibrahima Ba (NIMD, Niger)

16.40 – 17.25 Second round table on supporting inclusive democracy and peacebuilding in the Sahel with Lucas Koppen (PAX, Senior Programme Officer), Wael Abdul Shafi (PAX, EU
Political Advisor) and Tijmen Rooseboom (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Envoy for the Sahel Region)

17.25 – 17.30 Concluding remarks

17.30 – 18.30 Drinks