The ongoing instability in Libya since 2011 has been a key driver of the crisis gripping the Sahel region, according to Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel.
Speaking to Ghanaian media, Mar Dieye argued that the Sahel should not be viewed solely through the lens of crisis. “It is a region of opportunity and hope,” he said, urging the international community to rethink its narrative around the area.
He described the situation as a development emergency rather than a purely security issue, and stressed that the world owes the Sahel a “historic debt” that remains unpaid.
Mar Dieye also challenged the widespread characterization of Sahel countries as poor. “These nations are not poor,” he said. “They’ve suffered from deeply flawed resource management in the past, and that must be corrected.”
He called for a renewed global commitment to sustainable development in the region, emphasizing that the path forward lies in fair governance, strategic investment, and regional cooperation.
