Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Political Science

Advisor

Forrest D. Colburn

Subject Categories

Comparative Politics | Political Science

Keywords

West Africa, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ideology, Development

Abstract

In Africa’s Central Sahel region—comprising of the countries of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—environmental hardship, historical trauma, and contemporary conflict intersect with profound challenges of nation-building, state construction, and economic development. Situated in the semi-arid transitional zone between the Sahara Desert and sub-Saharan Africa, these landlocked states suffer from extreme geographical vulnerability. From the colonial period through to the present, these nations have experienced recurring droughts, persistent food insecurity, and entrenched poverty. Population growth has dramatically outpaced economic development; youth unemployment, limited educational opportunities, and scarce resources fuel social tension and potential conflict. Islamist insurgencies and increasingly violent ethnic conflicts have destabilized the region's social fabric and posed an obstacle to governance.

The military governments in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali espouse a radical nationalist ideology drawing from Pan-Africanist and Marxist-Leninist paradigms. These governments have formed a new regional bloc, the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES), and implemented significant policy shifts in trade, border management, economic development, and geopolitical alignment. Recent developments include a pivot away from traditional Western partnerships toward Russia and China, and a palpable popular rejection of Western (particularly French) influence rooted in deep-seated grievances about colonialism and failed counterterrorism interventions. What is happening in the Central Sahel is part of a common trend in many parts of the world of turning towards the past in a search for solutions to today’s polycrisis.

This thesis traces the Central Sahel’s complex historical and contemporary trajectories through an analysis of literature and archival records. The argument contends that the issues confronting the Central Sahel are intrinsically linked to those of the independence era. As a result, the current leadership’s ideological frameworks—largely salvaged from the independence era—are insufficient to address the Sahel’s multifaceted challenges. Neoliberal “securitization” frameworks are also inadequate. The region stands at a critical juncture where recycled ideologically-driven programs are inadequate. A transformative, innovative developmental paradigm is not merely desirable but necessary to navigate the profound challenges of environmental stress, demographic pressure, ethnic conflict, and geopolitical instability.

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