Lake Chad Basin environmental and security crisis

Regional leaders and officials in the Lake Chad Basin are addressing interconnected environmental and security crises. Initial efforts focused on the massive shrinkage of Lake Chad, which has lost over 90% of its original size, impacting more than 30 million people. Proposed solutions included transferring water from the Congo Basin to restore vital agricultural and fishing sectors.

Security concerns involve the resilience of insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP). While the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) aims for the eradication of these groups, its effectiveness has been hampered by resource shortages and the withdrawal of Niger Republic from the task force.

In Chad, the focus has expanded to specific climate and administrative challenges. Government officials are working with international partners like the World Bank to monitor irregular rainfall patterns to protect agricultural and pastoral sectors. Additionally, audits of land administration across 18 provinces have revealed issues including illegal land sales, insufficient technical resources, and administrative inefficiencies in managing state land reserves.