On May 21-22 2012 Roskilde University in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), CARE DK and Venskabsforeningen Danmark Niger (VDN) invited for an International Colloquium.

See the presentations here:

La crise des refugiés au Niger - Contexte et justification by HAMMADOU Abdou

The Tuareg Rebellions - From Understanding to Misunderstanding by

Poster incl. Programme

Background

In March 2012, Malian soldiers launched a coup against the president, Amadou Toumani Touré (ATT), who was due to step down in June 2012 after 10 years in office. This event marked an escalation of a political chaos in Mali where the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA), a new Tuareg armed group has launched attacks against government armed forces in northern towns. MNLA has seized control of military bases together with various Islamic movements and heavy fighting has taken place since January 2012 when the Rebellion resurrected in Mali. This political chaos occurs in the context of multiple crises in the Sahel with severe human consequences including killings of civilians and forced migration threatening the political stability in the Sahel and the global political security. The instability has worsened due to the presence of Al-Qaeda and the normalisation of various forms of illegal trafficking (e.g. drugs, weapons, and migrants) and the kidnapping of Western hostages in the northern regions.

The conflict in northern Mali has historical trajectories tied to issues of inequitable natural resource management, political, social and economic marginalisation of pastoralists, to name a few. Mali and Niger experienced similar uprisings in the 1960s, 1990s and early 2000 with a resurgence between 2006 and 2009. Lately the conflict has escalated due to shift in regional power balance after the death of the Libyan leader Mouammar Kadhafi. In recent years, in particular four converging trends have highlighted the need to draw attention to the impacts of the political instability and human security crisis of people in Niger and Mali:

·   The resurrection of Tuareg rebellions and discourses of independence, linked to Arabic spring and the return of ex-combatants from Kadhafi’s Army. 

·   Chronic food insecurity, climatic uncertainty, droughts, flood unpredictability, inequitable natural resource management, household livelihood insecurity, and marginalisation of pastoralists.

·   Migration: At present the conflict has generated almost 120,000 refugees and internally displaced persons.

·   A succession of terrorist related ‘spectacular events’ targeted at foreigners, since AQIM launched itself as a branch of Al-Qaeda in 2007.

Before pretending to solve any of these interwoven issues, it is most important to understand the situation properly. Roskilde University, together with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Danish International Studies (DIIS), Venskabsforeningen Danmark-Niger and CARE DK, has the great pleasure to present prominent speakers addressing these issues.

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Contacts:

Eric Hahonou (RUC) komlavi(at)ruc.dk

Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde (DIIS) scr(at)coldravnkilde.dk

Ina Byskov Nygaard (RUC) inabn@ruc.dk