More than a year and a half since the ministerial meeting of the Coalition for the Sahel, and calls to stabilize the Sahel region in a sustainable manner, the Liptako-Gourma region still finds itself grappling with a complex web of security, political, socio-economic and environmental challenges. Despite the launch of numerous initiatives by the three LG countries and their technical and financial partners in support to the communities, the region has seen around 5,000 people perish due to various forms of conflict in 2021, while more than 2.5 million people are displaced. There have already been 200 incidences of violence against civilians with more than 600 casualties reported between June and mid-August 2022 in the LG region.

As LG Member States step up their efforts to bring stability to the region, there is a pressing need for an overarching framework under which stabilization interventions takes place, offering a dedicated strategic backbone that outlines the purpose, principles, and partners of stabilization, with coordination mechanisms and risk management procedures. This is the aim of the Regional Stabilization Strategy for the Liptako-Gourma Region.

Specifically, the Strategy lays out the core principles of stabilization – government-led, strengthening the social contract, speed and scale, conflict sensitivity and doing no harm, among others.