Fulani-Dogon Killings in Mali: Farmer-Herder Conflicts as Insurgency and Counterinsurgency

Violent clashes between Fulani and Dogon have recently escalated in the Seeno plains in central Mali. After failing to defeat a “jihadist” insurgency dominated by Fulani, the Malian army has sponsored and trained a Dogon militia, which has systematically attacked Fulani villages, and again caused counterattacks. In addition, internal conflicts within Fulani and Dogon society have emerged. This demonstrates the complexities of the current crisis in Mali and how simplistic narratives about its causes are unhelpful. It also shows how views of the enemy as “terrorists” or “jihadists” are dangerous and able to further fuel violent conflicts.publishedVersio

Evolution de la pluviométrie annuelle en Afrique de l'Ouest et centrale au XXème siècle

Il est clairement reconnu que toutes les régions d'Afrique de l'Ouest et d'Afrique Centrale, sèches comme humides, ont été touchées par une diminution de la pluviométrie annuelle autour des années 1970. Mais au cours du XXème siècle, d'autres événements climatiques sont survenus. A partir de données de pluie, nous avons souhaité mettre en évidence les alternances pluviométriques qu'a pu connaître l'Afrique de l'Ouest et Centrale au cours du XXème siècle. Pour cela, nous nous sommes appuyés sur des outils d'analyse statistiques de séries chronologiques. Il apparaît que ces alternances de périodes sèches et humides ont eu une ampleur spatiale et temporelle ainsi qu'une intensité très variable. Au nord de l'équateur, les changements climatiques les plus nets sont des sécheresses alors qu'au sud de l'équateur, ce sont des épisodes plus humides. Au cours de la première moitié du siècle, les modifications ont eu tendance à correspondre à une augmentation de la pluviométrie annuelle alors que la tendance s'est inversée après, avec en point d'orgue à la fin des années 1960

An overview of the development challenges and constraints of the Niger Basin and possible intervention strategies

The Niger River Basin covers 7.5% of the African continent, and is shared between nine riparian countries. The basin countries can be categorized into water resources producers, consumers, both producers and consumers, and minimum contributors and consumers. As in the case for most transboundary rivers, upstream and downstream conflicts emanating from the development and utilization of the Niger River are inevitable and are expected to be intense, particularly given the escalating demands for water from the many uses and users. The basin is divided into four major sections, namely Upper Niger, Inland Delta, Middle Niger, and Lower Niger. But these divisions, though useful, are too generic to provide a complete understanding of biophysical, hydrological and socioeconomic processes impinging on the basin’s water resources, and to provide intervention recommendations. On average, the basin’s population is two-thirds (64%) rural and a significant part of the northern zones of the basin is unpopulated. People in the basin are engaged in various livelihood strategies such as dry- and wet-season cropping systems, pastoral systems, crop-livestock systems, and fishing. The dry-season livelihood systems include fadama (lowland or inland valleys) farming, recession flood farming, agroforestry, irrigated rice farming and fishing. Wet-season livelihood systems center mostly on cereal cropping and transhumance. The major crops grown in the basin are yam, cassava, rice, groundnut, millet, sorghum, plantain, cocoa, maize, sugarcane, and cotton. Agriculture represents a large part of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Niger River Basin with crop production alone contributing 25-35% of the basin’s GDP, while livestock and fishery contribute 10-15% and 1-4%, respectively. All countries of the Niger Basin suffer from chronic and acute poverty and are ranked ‘poor’ by most poverty indicators (Human Development Index [HDI]), child mortality, life expectancy, Social Vulnerability Index, etc.). Several structural (social and institutional) factors hold a large segment of the basin’s population in the throes of poverty. Niger Basin’s challenge is to break this vicious circle by using resources to generate sustainable growth that is favorable to the poor. Some of the prominent water-related challenges are degradation of land and water resources, climate change and variability, vulnerability to disasters, inefficiency and poor performance of agriculture (rain-fed and irrigation), competing demands between sectors and water users and inadequate investment in water infrastructure. At a wider level, inadequate public services, institutional and governance failure, high population growth and urbanization, poor macro-economic performance, and unemployment have also undermined the development of the basin. The severity of these challenges varies from location to location in the basin. The basin’s development goals and objectives originate as a response to the development challenges and are articulated in various policy documents such as the Niger Basin Shared Vision (NBA PADD), poverty reduction strategy papers, United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), specifically the pillars 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The goals of the basin countries are eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowerment of women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development. viii The specific development objectives of the basin countries are the following: • Increase income, generate jobs, improve living standards, and alleviate poverty, especially among the poorest section of the population while at the same time safeguarding the environment including the sustainable management of the Niger Basin water resources. • Improve access to health and education services, and increase life expectancy. • Achieve political stability, good governance and an appropriate institutional framework. • Improve the investment climate for private-sector development where infrastructure plays a decisive part. • Develop infrastructures and the productive sector to ensure better productivity of factors of production and economic growth. • Reduce food imports, boost agricultural exports through stabilization, intensification and expansion of agricultural production. To realize the basin’s development goals and objectives the following water-centered intervention clusters needed to be synergistically pursued. • Ensuring right to secure access to water for the poor. • Developing new infrastructure. • Improving access to agricultural water management innovations. • Strengthening Niger Basin’s water governance. • Upgrading rain-fed systems. • Reducing the vulnerability of poor people to climate shocks and other hazards. • Minimizing degradation of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. • Diversifying livelihood strategies

Orbital Myositis with Sudden Visual Loss: A Case Study in Niamey, Niger

This paper focuses on presenting a case study of three cases of orbital myositis in one male and two female adult patients. All patients presented sudden loss of vision and proptosis at the initial stage. Ophthalmological examination outlined optic nerve atrophie. The diagnosis of all cases was confirmed with a CT scan which showed specific muscle inflammation. The treatment was successfully carried out using bolus doses of corticosteroids relayed with oral prednisolone for over 6 weeks. Six (6) months follow-up, however, did not show any relapse in all the cases

Volumineux Mélanome Malin De La Conjonctive Multi Récidivant À Propos d’un Cas

Melanoma of the conjunctiva is a tumor that develops from the conjunctival melenocytes. It often reoccurs even after several surgical removals. The authors present the case of a 45 years old woman who was at first seen in our outpatient clinic with a spitz naevus of the conjunctiva of the right eye since more than 20 years ago. This naevus which was excised twice and then the eye enucleated underwent malignant transformation into a voluminous multi-recidivant malignant melanoma weighing after surgical removal 350g and measures 6x12x5cm

Effect of the strigolactone analogs methyl phenlactonoates on spore germination and root colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Strigolactones (SLs), a novel class of plant hormones, are key regulator of plant architecture and mediator of biotic interactions in the rhizosphere. Root-released SLs initiate the establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis by inducing spore germination and hyphal branching in AM fungi (AMF). However, these compounds also trigger the germination of root parasitic weeds, paving the way for deleterious infestation. Availability of SLs is required for investigating of their functions and also for application in agriculture. However, natural SLs are difficult to synthesize due to their complex structure and cannot be isolated at large scale, as they are released at very low concentrations. Therefore, there is a need for synthetic SL analogs. Recently, we reported on the development of simple SL analogs, methyl phenlactonoates (MPs), which show high SL activity in plants. Here, we investigate the effect of MP1, MP3 and the widely used SL-analog GR24 on AMF spore germination and host root colonization. Our results show that MP1 and MP3 inhibit AMF spore germination, but promote the intra-radical root colonization, both more efficiently than GR24. These results indicate that field application of MP1 and MP3 does not have negative impact on mycorrhizal fungi. In conclusion, our data together with the previously reported simple synthesis, high activity in regulating plant architecture and inducing Striga seed germination, demonstrate the utility of MP1 and MP3 as for field application in combating root parasitic weeds by inducing germination in host's absence

Epilepsie et permis de conduire au Mali : connaissances, attitudes et pratiques des moniteurs d’auto-école et des candidats au permis de conduire

Introduction: L’un des sujets les plus controversés dans le domaine de l’épilepsie est la problématique de la conduite chez l’épileptique.Objectif: Nous avons initié une étude, en collaboration avec l’Agence Nationale de la Sécurité Routière au Mali (ANASER), ayant pour but de faire l’état des lieux sur les connaissances, attitudes et pratiques des conducteurs, moniteurs et inspecteurs d’auto-écoles en matière d’épilepsie.Methode: Il s’agissait d’une étude longitudinale, prospective, descriptive et analytique qui s’est déroulée de juin 2009 à juin 2010. Elle a porté sur 31 auto-écoles du district de Bamako. 568 personnes ont été interrogées (488 candidats au permis de conduire, 70 moniteurs d’auto-école et 10 inspecteurs).Resultats: Près de 60 % des personnes interrogées accordaient une origine surnaturelle à l’épilepsie ; plus de 85 % indiquaient que l’épilepsie était incompatible avec la conduite automobile. Plus de la moitié ignorait l’existence d’une réglementation. Près de 70 % pensaient que l’épilepsie était pourvoyeuse d’accident de la voie publique.Conclusion: A l’instar de nos précédentes études communautaires au Mali, ce travail a permis de mettre l’accent, d’une part, sur l’importance des connaissances erronées sur l’épilepsie et, d’autre part, sur la nécessité d’actualiser la réglementation en matière de conduite de véhicules motorisés pour ces patients.Mots clés: Attitudes, Épilepsie, Mali, Permis de conduire, Conduite automobileEnglish Title: Epilepsy and driving licence in Mali : knowledge, attitudes and practices of driving schools monitors and the candidates for the licenceEnglish AbstractBackground: One of the most controversial topics in the field of epilepsy remains the issue of driving license for epileptic patients.Purpose: We initiated a study in collaboration with ANASER (National Agency for Road Safety in Mali) with the goal, on one hand, of assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of drivers and driving school authorities on epilepsy and, on the other hand, to analyze the current regulations on issuance of license to epileptic patients.Methods: Il s’agissait d’une étude longitudinale, prospective, descriptive et analytique qui s’est déroulée de juin 2009 à juin 2010. We interviewed 568 sujects, including 488 candidates for driver’s license, 70 driving school monitors and 10 inspectors.Results: About 60% gave a supernatural origin of the disease, and more than 85% believed that epilepsy was incompatible with driving. More than half were unaware of regulations. Approximately, 70% of respondents believed that epilepsy was a contributory factor to road accident.Conclusion: As in our previous community studies in Mali, this study emphasizes the importance of misconceptions about epilepsy, and has shown the need to update the regulations regarding the driving of motorized vehicles for these patients.Keywords: Epilepsy, Attitudes, Driving , Driving License, Mal