How the African Sahel could be affected by Tripoli's fall
Yesterday, (follow live updates ). With the fall of Col. Muammar Qaddafi seeming nearly complete, many are wondering and for the Arab world. Something I鈥檓 going to be thinking about (and writing more about) in the coming weeks is the impact of Qaddafi鈥檚 fall on the Sahel. Some , such as Senegal鈥檚 President Abdoulaye Wade and Mauritania鈥檚 President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, have been siding with the rebels and anticipating Qaddafi鈥檚 ouster for some time. Others, such as Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, have endeavored to remain neutral. All of them, now, face a new political reality in the region. What will the absence of a once-powerful figure, who sometimes brokered peace and sometimes stoked conflict, mean for the countries that lie to Libya鈥檚 south?
In thinking about these questions, I鈥檝e found two pieces particularly helpful. One is the Globe and Mail鈥荣 in Africa, which highlights the breadth of his influence but also shows that some of his most significant interventions were in the Sahel, in places like Mali, Chad, and Sudan. The other is Howard French鈥檚 reflections on and the impact of his maneuvers to support revolutions and rebels in the Sahel and further south in Africa.
As I said, I plan to write in greater depth about Qaddafi and the Sahel in the weeks to come. In the meantime, I鈥檇 like to hear your thoughts. How will events in Libya affect Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Darfur, and other places in the Sahel? Let us know in the comments.
鈥� Alex Thurston is a PhD student studying Islam in Africa at Northwestern University and blogs at .
