The United Nations Environment Programme recently noted that Lake Chad has shrunk 90 per cent in 60 years, and blamed the situation on climate change, irrigation, construction of dams and population increase. Efforts are however been made by the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum to stabilise the affected region, writes Ugo Aliogo
The Lake Chad Basin has been devastated for a long time due to conflict with non-state armed groups, rapid population growth, climate change, and poverty, which together have triggered massive population displacement.
In December 2023, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated that an unprecedented humanitarian crisis continued to linger in the North-eastern Nigeria, Cameroon’s far North, Western Chad and South-east Niger with 11.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
OCHA noted that the complex crisis has resulted in the displacement of more than 3.1 million people, half of whom are children.
The UN body revealed that many affected people were living in desperate conditions without access to food or clean water. Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high and four million people are affected by food insecurity, including 2.9 million people in Nigeria.
The Governor’s Forum
Over the past two decades, the Lake Chad basin has been severely impacted by the Boko Haram insurgency and other related conflicts. The impacts range from massive internal and cross-border displacement, the destruction of the social fabric and property, human rights abuses, disrupted public services, and limited capacities of government institutions.
In response to the security and conflict challenges, the governments of the four riparian countries established a joint military task force called the Multinational Joint Task Force in 2015 to launch a coordinated military counter-offensive against Boko Haram.
The establishment of the Taskforce was later followed by the development of a Regional Strategy for Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience by the Lake Chad Basin Commission with the support of the African Union and UNDP in 2018.
Since the development of the Regional Strategy for Stabilisation, Recovery, and Resilience (RS-SRR) in 2018, the strategy has acted as a regional architecture for responding to the complex security, humanitarian and development issues plaguing the region. It emphasises the need for a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and coordinated set of sub-national, national, and cross-border initiatives to achieve long-term stabilisation, recovery, and resilience.
As a result, several initiatives and programmes have sprung up to facilitate regional cooperation, respond to humanitarian needs and foster peace and development in the region, one of which is the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum.
The 4th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum concluded with a solid commitment to enhancing joint efforts towards stabilising the region, promoting peace, and fostering sustainable development.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission and Head of Mission, Multinational Joint Task Force, Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, said: “I believe this meeting provides the needed opportunity to reflect on the journey so far and the lessons learnt, and to collectively strategise on how to effectively address the emerging challenges in the region.”
On his part, the UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said: “What we have seen over three years is how the impact of stabilisation extends beyond numbers; it has restored hope and dignity across the region. It has brought communities together, fostering resilience and determination to rebuild their lives.
“Together with the governments of the Lake Chad Basin, and under the leadership of the Governors, we have built homes, schools and health centres; restored markets and feeder roads; repaired garrisons and police stations; given access to energy; and more than 400,000 displaced persons have returned home.”
AFDB Initiative
Recently, the African Development Bank Group (AFDB) and the Lake Chad Basin Commission, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to rehabilitate and restore the Lake Chad Basin.
The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the 37th African Union Summit held in Ethiopia, would mobilise financial and technical resources to improve the development and management of water resources, support livelihoods and restore peace in the region.
Lake Chad, once considered the sixth-largest inland water body on earth for livelihood, has shrunk in area by some 92 per cent in recent decades. The larger Chad Basin contributes to food security for about 50 million people.
The Republic of Chad Minister of Water, Passalet Kanade Marssela, said: “The population living in this ecosystem are facing major socio-economic challenges – add to that the insecurity situation due to terrorist groups which brings loss of livelihood, destruction of households, forced internal displacements and beyond our national frontiers.”
African Development Bank Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, told dignitaries and sector leaders in water and agriculture at the signing ceremony that the agreement would provide a framework for projects and programmes to improve the quality of life for millions of Africans.
“This Memorandum of Understanding involves transforming living conditions in the hydrographic basin of the six member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, namely Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, the Central African Republic and Libya. As the main financial partner of the Commission for several years, we will consolidate the gains made, through a new integrated regional programme that accelerates sustainable solutions to the challenges of Lake Chad and further improves the living conditions of the basin’s population,” she said.
The Lake Chad Basin Commission named the African Development Bank the “Champion Lead Partner for resource mobilization for the revival of the Lake Chad,” Akin-Olugbade said.
The Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, said: “Our shared goal is to ensure the sustainability of the Lake Chad Basin, especially the Lake, which has dramatically shrunk due to climate change and increased human demands. This is a manifestation of our commitment to ensuring water security, economic prosperity, and stability in the region. It is an integral part of our shared goal to build climate resilience and sustainable growth.”
The African Development Bank has a track record of impactful support for the Lake Chad Basin Commission and its goals. Since 2005, the Bank has financed $241.3 million for several multinational projects in the water, transport, environment, and social sectors.
Recently, the Bank approved $17.8 million for a United Nations Development Progamme initiative, tagged: ‘Rompre le cycle de fragilité à travers la stabilization au lac Tchad’ (‘Breaking the cycle of fragility through stabilization in Lake Chad’). This initiative is expected to raise up to $21.5 million in additional financing from partner organisations.
The Bank is also developing a multi-year institutional capacity building programme to strengthen the Lake Chad Basin Commission to carry out in-depth environmental, technical and economic studies that will inform solutions, decision-making, and financing requirements for Lake Chad Basin restoration.
In addition, the Bank’s African Water Facility is financing the development of the second, five-year investment plan to build a pipeline of projects for the sustainable and beneficial use of water resources in the basin, as well as prepare the groundwork for further investments.
Effect of Climate Change
Climate change has had a profound impact on the Chad Basin, particularly on Lake Chad, which has shrunk by more than 90 per cent since the 1960s. This reduction in size is primarily due to increased evaporation rates and reduced rainfall. The shrinking of Lake Chad has led to a decline in fish stocks, reduced agricultural productivity, and increased competition for scarce water resources.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stated that climate change is an aggravating factor for terrorism as it creates conditions of poverty, desperation and resentment that make people more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups.
He revealed that one of these groups is Boko Haram, which has been terrorising communities around Lake Chad since 2009, exploiting water shortages, resource conflicts, and weak governance.
A study by the U.S. Marine Corps University disclosed that there is a positive correlation between the changing physical environment of Lake Chad and the intensity of violent extremist activities in the surrounding area during the past decade.
The study argued that climate change has led to conditions that increased terrorist activity in the Lake Chad area by creating social, economic, and political grievances that fuel conflict and extremism.
The Chad Basin has been the subject of numerous contemporary studies regarding the relationship between climate change and terrorism. Given the extent to which it has been studied, it serves as a prime case study for security professionals to learn from.
Impact of Boko Haram
According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Boko Haram has had a severe and multifaceted impact on the Chad Basin. The insurgent group has caused massive displacement of people, with more than 2.7 million internally displaced people and refugees in the region. The activities of Boko Haram have also undermined human security and worsened existing vulnerabilities, including poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, environmental degradation, and gender-based violence.
Boko Haram has destabilised state institutions, eroded social cohesion and trust among communities and authorities, and disrupted economic activities such as trade, agriculture, fishing, and cross-border commerce.
According to a recent study, Boko Haram has carried out attacks on personnel and facilities. In 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 10 Chinese workers from a construction site in northern Cameroon. The rebels also took 10 vehicles belonging to a Chinese construction company.
In 2016, Boko Haram attacked a convoy of vehicles belonging to a Nigerian oil exploration team that included staff from the state oil firm NNPC, the University of Maiduguri, and a Chinese company. More than 50 people were killed in the ambush attack.
In 2020, Boko Haram targeted and killed French NGO workers in Niger, including many more dastardly attacks after 2020.
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