ABSTRACT

Security in the Sahel region has traditionally been studied through a realist prism, emphasising military concerns and the pre-eminent influence of great powers in shaping local security concerns. The paper reviews the securitisation initiatives in Africa's Sahel. It specifically explores Buzan and Waever's ‘securitisation' framework to re-evaluate securitising discourse and the contemporary initiatives of the EU, France and the U.S.A. in the Sahelian States. Its main observation is that the central security actors in the Sahel have over the years paid less attention to the securitisation of threats in the region. The paper provides indicators of successful securitisation, which includes but goes beyond speech acts. It underscores the reality that though the securitisation of Africa's Sahel has helped to legitimise the ‘war on terrorism', it has very little to offer for Africa’s development problems. The paper posits that securitisation, though a laudable initiative, does not sufficiently address root causes of terrorism, which are not military but social and economic. It thus recommends a holistic approach to addressing the security challenges in the Sahel; which must include: providing increased safe access for those who want to work in the West while also assisting to create economic prospects and opportunities in the region.

摘要

萨赫勒地区的安全历来是通过现实主义的棱镜来研究的，强调军事关切和大国在塑造当地安全关切方面的卓越影响。该文件回顾了非洲萨赫勒地区的证券化举措。它特别探讨了 Buzan 和 Waever 的“证券化”框架，以重新评估证券化话语以及欧盟、法国和美国在萨赫勒国家的当代倡议。其主要观察结果是，萨赫勒地区的中央安全机构多年来对该地区威胁的安全化关注较少。该论文提供了成功证券化的指标，其中包括但不限于言语行为。它强调了一个现实，即尽管非洲的证券化 萨赫勒帮助使“反恐战争”合法化，但它对非洲的发展问题几乎没有帮助。该论文假定，证券化虽然是一项值得称赞的举措，但并没有充分解决恐怖主义的根源，这些根源不是军事方面的，而是社会和经济方面的。因此，它建议采用整体方法来应对萨赫勒地区的安全挑战；其中必须包括：为那些想在西方工作的人提供更多的安全通道，同时帮助在该地区创造经济前景和机会。因此，它建议采用整体方法来应对萨赫勒地区的安全挑战；其中必须包括：为那些想在西方工作的人提供更多的安全通道，同时帮助在该地区创造经济前景和机会。因此，它建议采用整体方法来应对萨赫勒地区的安全挑战；其中必须包括：为那些想在西方工作的人提供更多的安全通道，同时帮助在该地区创造经济前景和机会。