Seminar: Rebeller, terrorister og flygtninge – den aktuelle krise i Sahel

TIME: Monday-Tuesday, 21-22 May, 9.30 – 15.00 and 9.30 – 12.00

VENUE: Roskilde University, Large Auditorium, building 00, Universitetsvej 1, 4000 Roskilde (See map: http://www.ruc.dk/om-universitetet/ankomst-til-ruc/kort-over-ruc/)

TIME: Monday-Tuesday, 21-22 May, 9.30 – 15.00 and 9.30 – 12.00

VENUE: Roskilde University, Large Auditorium, building 00, Universitetsvej 1, 4000 Roskilde (See map: http://www.ruc.dk/om-universitetet/ankomst-til-ruc/kort-over-ruc/)

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. Prominent speakers will address these issues at the seminar.

(preliminary) Programme:

Monday, 21 May

9.30- 10.00: Coffee and registration

10.00-10.10: Introduction; Ib Poulsen, Rector of Roskilde University

10.10-10.30: Opening lecture; Christian Friis Bach, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation

10.30-12.15: Roundtable ‘Refugees’. This roundtable deals with human security, migration and internal displacement, equitable natural resources management, household livelihood security, and pastoralism.

10.30-10.50: Pastoralism and Refugee crisis in Niger, (preliminary title); Abou Ag Abbasit, Representative of West Africa regional pastoral network Billital Maroobé (Mali)

10.50-11.05: Coffee break

11.05-11.25: Malian conflicts and refugees from Mali in Niger; Aghali Abdelkader, PhD, Office of the Prime minister of Niger, President of the National Ad-hoc Committee in charge of the refugees

11.25-11.45: Climate change and conflicts in Mali (preliminary title); Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde, PhD, DIIS

11.45-12.30: Discussions. Chair: Eric Hahonou, ISG/RUC

12.30-13.00: Lunch

13.00-15.00: Roundtable ‘Rebellions’; This roundtable intends to shed light on Tuareg rebellions in Niger and Mali in a historical perspective. Speakers will explain the roots of successive rebellions, the role of identity politics and marginalisation processes, and the role of state policies.

13.05-13.25: Touareg rebellions in Niger and their roots (preliminary title); Aghali Abdelkader, PhD, LASDEL (Niger)

13.25-13.45: The Tuareg: between armed uprising and drought, (preliminary title); Baz Lecocq, Pr. Ghent University (Belgium)

13.45-14.00: Coffee break

14.00-14.20: Nationalism, nationalities and transnationalism among the Touareg; Nadia Belalimat, PhD, CNRS & Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement (France)

14.20-15.05: Discussions. Chair: Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde, PhD, DIIS

Tuesday, 22 May

9.30-11.15: Roundtable; ‘Terrorism’. This roundtable discusses the consequences of the putsch for political stability in the Sahel in terms of global, regional and local security issues, and the multiple dimensions of terrorism and organized criminal activity in the Sahel region.

09.30-09.50: Al-Qaeda organisation in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), formation and transformation Rasmus Alenius Boserup, Dr., PhD, DIIS

09.50-10.10: Tuareg Irredentists and Islamists in Mali, Rivalry or Alliances?; Ole Martin Gaasholt, PhD, University of London

10.10-10.30: Coffee break

10.30-11.15: Discussions / roundtable ‘Terrorism’

11.15-11.45: General discussions with all speakers. Chair: Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde, PhD, DIIS

11.50: Closing Remarks by Eric Hahonou, RUC/ISG

Contacts:
Eric Hahonou (RUC) [email protected]
Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde (DIIS) [email protected]
Ina Byskov Nygaard (RUC) [email protected]

Registration (deadline: 14 May 2012) at http://www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollector?key=LS4F54CT3KC2