No military solution has so far proved effective at combatting jihadist insurgents in the Sahel region of West Africa. Now a new long-shot idea is making the rounds: bringing in Rwandan security forces. However, the “Rwandan model” is no solution for the Sahel’s nightmare. The search for new ideas will have to continue.
After each of a series of coups in Africa in recent years, Africa’s regional organizations have tried and failed to shape or alter events on the ground. The scenario has become a familiar one with each successive coup, which raises the question: What explains these organizations’ inability to roll back these military takeovers?