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Conflict, insecurity spell an uncertain future for children in the Sahel

Saturday February 26 2022
Pupils

Pupils hoist the national flag at a school yard in Niger. PHOTO | COURTESY

By KEMO CHAM

The Sahel region, beset with death and displacement, faces an even more bleak future as its children are forced to forfeit going to school for safety.

With no formal schooling, many children – in this region that is slowly turning into the world’s home of military coups – are stressed, researchers say, a sign that the violence is taking a psychological toll on the minors.

According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are the three most affected countries in the Sahel owing to the decade-long insecurity fuelled by insurgents like ISIL/ISIS and al-Qaeda-linked groups, which have annexed vast swaths of land.

Magani

Magani, a student, writes on her notebook during a second grade lesson. PHOTO | COURTESY

These groups have over the years exploited intercommunal disputes and widely-held resentments towards local governments to incite violence and recruit new members.

In Mali and Burkina Faso, the insurgencies have led to the forceful change in governments by the military, occasioning fresh political crises, sanctions in the case of Mali and threats of sanction for Burkina Faso.

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At Tadres School, a makeshift learning facility in the Nigerien village of Tillabéri, class teacher Nafissa Daouda regularly conducts stress-relieving exercises with her pupils.

She recalls several recent incidents that have destabilised the village, including an attack on homes four years ago.

Ms Daouda says that sometimes the children jump up in fear, triggered by the memory of some violent incident.

“You can really see that these are students who are stressed,” she says, adding: “We've been together for four years and they really haven't forgotten. They are children, but if you ask them to tell you it seems like it was yesterday that the events happened.”

The report by the NRC says 53 percent of the children said they do not feel safe at school. And almost two thirds (64 percent) reported having little to no hope for the future.

Up to 62 percent of the children reported not being able to concentrate and 9 out of 10 say they have issues dealing with their emotions.

“These children have witnessed or endured multiple kinds of violence leading to chronic stress and trauma. It is our duty to help them rediscover the language of innocence, joy and curiosity,” says Marta Schena, regional education specialist for NRC.

“The desire to learn should never be trumped by the need to hide,” she adds.

Stressed out children

According to the report, high levels of stress lead children to underperform at school. Some children isolate themselves as a coping mechanism while others express their stress through anger, aggression or panic attacks.

“It is clear that our children are stressed and anxious: some of them wake up at night because of nightmares, others cry erratically,” says Aanan, a parent representative from Tillabéri village.

Aanan says because armed groups often launch attacks on motorbikes, the mere sound of a bike can trigger panic among the children.

“When they hear the sound of motorbikes passing by, they immediately look for a place to hide,” he explains.

The attacks also often involve beatings and kidnappings of students and teachers, human rights organisations say.

There have been fears that these children will be recruited to armed groups or fall victim of child marriage as most insurgents see Western-style education, particularly for girls, counter to their ideologies.

According to the UN, insecurity has displaced about 2.5 million people in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso alone and more than 5,500 schools have been forced to shut down.

Some other reports put the number of schools closed in the region at more than 9,000, leaving more than two million children without proper education, according to a 2020 Unicef report.

Consequently, an entire generation of children in the Sahel is wasting.

The NRC says it interviewed 641 children aged from 6 to 14 years, from 19 schools. Some 91percent of them say they have low self-regulation/awareness skills and 72 percent are in need of additional school support.

Ms Schena, the NRC education specialist, says collective effort is needed to address the concerns.

“We call on the governments, school administrations and the humanitarian community to urgently increase resources and appropriate training for teachers. We must ensure they are fully equipped to support children who have experienced trauma,” she says.

The World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley last week warned of an “absolute crisis” unfolding in the region.

“Families have been chased from their homes by extremist groups, starved by drought and plunged into despair by Covid’s economic ripple effect,” he tweeted.

In a short video showing him at the heart of a Nigerien desert with desperate-looking families, Mr Beasley reiterated the appeal for funding to save the starving population.

“This is what happens when you have climate change, conflict, Covid, economic deterioration, price spiking of food and it has created catastrophe. Some 11 million people here in the Sahel don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And if they don’t get the help they need immediately, we are talking about starvation, migration and destabilisation,” he said.

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