Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


In Africa's Sahel Region, Violence and Hope Compete

Anita Powell

   JOHANNESBURG - Recent violence in Mali, Niger and the Central African
   Republic have left hundreds dead in recent weeks. But the United
   States' envoy to the Sahel region says there is hope in the West
   African region, as several nations have recently held peaceful polls,
   with more elections to come in 2021.

   The top U.S. envoy to Africa's Sahel region acknowledges that it has
   been a rough few weeks in the sprawling desert region -- which covers
   the West African nations of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and
   Niger.

   The region is beset by a wave of deadly violence from extremist groups,
   with more than 1,000 violent incidents in the first half of 2020,
   according to a report from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data
   Project.

   Most recently, in western Niger, extremists attacked three villages on
   January 2, killing more than 100 civilians. Peter Pham, the U.S.
   special envoy to the Sahel, strongly condemned the attacks in a call to
   journalists this week, calling the perpetrators "cowardly" and
   "godless."

   But he quickly added there is cause for hope, as Niger heads to a
   second round of presidential elections in February.

   "We have congratulated the people of Niger who exercised their
   democratic right to vote in their presidential and legislative
   elections on December 27th and look forward to observing an equally
   successful run-off presidential election process on February 21st.
   These elections hold the promise of Niger's historic first peaceful
   transition of power from one democratically elected president to
   another," he said.

.