Conflict Dynamics and Obstacles to Peace in the Lake Chad Basin: Analysis and Perspectives for a Positive Dynamic of Peace

Dezo Fouodji
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Dezo Fouodji: PhD Fellow, Graduate School of the Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations, Protestant University of Central Africa, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2024, vol. 8, issue 9, 363-378

Abstract: The recurrence of conflicts in the Lake Chad basin positions this region in the high-risk zone of the African Sahel, described by researchers of the Center of Progress as “arc of tension†. Focusing on the southern shore of the lake, this article is based on analyses of the documentary content of scientific works dealing with conflicts in the Lake Chad basin, the results of research and scientific articles also devoted to the same issues, and empirical data was collected from community members (through personal interviews) in order to understand the process of renewal of conflict dynamics in this ecological basin. It also draws on the work of Thomas Homer-Dixon and his Toronto research group to demonstrate that the resurgence of conflict in this basin is attributable to the mismatch between the need for vital resources and the supply, as well as to the inadequacy of national and community instruments for regulating natural resources. The article attempts to answer the following questions: what explains the recurrence of conflicts in the Lake Chad basin? And what are the obstacles to peace in this area? Firstly, it shows how the activities of cross-border criminals, the Islamist sect (Boko Haram) and the scarcity of natural resources are fueling the process of renewed conflict dynamics in the Lake Chad Basin. It then identifies the factors blocking peace in this ecological basin, in particular the difficulty of access to land and natural resources, the scarcity of economic resources, the competition between social groups for access to and control of resources, and the system for managing these resources. Finally, as a way out of the conflicts circle in this region, the article proposes an environmental mediation approach based on the promotion of incentive mechanisms for the sustainable and concerted management of natural resources and the creation of a community of interests to strengthen peaceful cohabitation between peoples, with the aim of building a positive dynamic of peace.

Date: 2024
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