Climate change is poised to unleash devastating hunger and violence across West Africa and the Sahel region in 2024, warned members of the United Nations Security Council in a joint statement released on Thursday.

This stems from the relentless onslaught of climate change wreaking havoc on a region that harbours some of the globe’s most impoverished populations.

Council members, including France, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States refer to themselves as “pledgers.” They commit to acting in their national capacities to address the crisis, contribute to a joint framework to confront it and continue highlighting it within the international community.  

They highlighted the imminent threat to peace, emphasising the need for a cautious dialogue and strategic interventions to address the current situation most residents face while simultaneously addressing the overarching climate crisis.

The “pledgers” expressed deep concerns about climate change’s severe and tangible impacts in West Africa and the Sahel, particularly in the Lake Chad basin and the Liptako-Gourma regions. 

“In West Africa and the Sahel, climate change and its impacts on peace and security are already a lived reality, especially in the Lake Chad basin or the Liptako-Gourma regions, but also beyond. Increasing frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, biodiversity loss, desertification, and other impacts affect populations who rely mainly on rain-fed agriculture and livestock for subsistence,” the council members said.

According to the group, this multifaceted crisis amplifies the risks of food and water insecurity, loss of livelihoods, migration, and displacement, culminating in heightened competition for resources. 

They stated that the resultant strain could spark violence, manifesting in conflicts between farmers and herders and contributing to the recruitment of individuals into terrorist or violent extremist groups. Women, youth, and the most vulnerable communities bear a disproportionate burden, leading to a relentless increase in humanitarian needs.

“In West Africa, where some 400 million people live, the rapid retreat of the coastline due to rising sea levels is already forcing coastal communities inland,” the council members said. “In the Sahel, where agriculture remains the dominant activity, recurrent droughts and increased rainfall variability are leading to more internal migration. Temperatures in the region are set to rise by more than the global average.”

The group says it is exploring the prevention of the looming crisis, exploring conflict-sensitive adaptation mitigation and adaptation.  

“Prevention is key. Conflict-sensitive climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience actions backed by related funding are important for peacebuilding and social cohesion in the sub-region. In this sense, in West Africa, cross-border projects have enabled dialogue and promoted more transparent management of scarce natural resources, transforming the challenges into opportunities as a factor for peace,” the “pledgers” said.