SHORING UP STABILITY:

Addressing Climate & Fragility Risks in the Lake Chad Region

Lake Chad is caught in a conflict trap. Violence between armed opposition groups – including the so-called ‘Islamic State West Africa Province’ and ‘Boko Haram’ – and state security forces has left 10.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Climate change is compounding these challenges. This report identifies key risks and proposes pragmatic solutions to shore up stability in the region.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

THE FULL REPORT

The Security Council “recognises the adverse effects of climate change and ecological changes … on the stability of the Region, including through water scarcity, drought, desertification, land degradation, and food insecurity, and emphasises the need for adequate risk assessments and risk management strategies by governments and the United Nations relating to these factors.”

— UN Security Council Resolution 2349 (31 March 2017)

KEY FINDINGS

Climate change interacts with conflict in the Lake Chad region to create a feedback loop of violence and undermine resilience. To break free of the conflict trap, it is vital that the impacts of climate change must be tackled as part of humanitarian, stabilisation, peacebuilding and development efforts.

KEY FINDINGS

THE STORY

The story of Lake Chad is one of a people-centred crisis which requires people-centred responses. Through Mohamed’s story, we see how climate change and conflict have interacted and affected the life, livelihoods and prospects of one man and his family.

THE STORY

THE VIDEO

Lake Chad’s conflict trap can seem insurmountable. But the region has always been a source of resilience and it can be again. Watch this video to learn what can be done to break the conflict trap and to shore up stability in the Lake Chad region.