Thomson Reuters Foundation: Opinion: It’s time to address the root causes of human suffering in the Sahel
Mark Lowcock, U.N. under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, emergency relief coordinator, and head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

“…[W]e must break [the] cyclical nature of dealing with short-term needs and address what are long-term causes. Unless we address underlying causes [of poverty, including climate change], the military and humanitarian efforts in the Sahel will fail. Three areas of action are needed: First, the Sahel needs sustained development investment to build basic services, improve infrastructure, manage population growth, and find more diversified income sources for people. … Second, strong national leadership, together with more effective international support, is needed to strengthen the rule of law, judicial systems, and human rights frameworks, which can help bring sustainable peace and development to the region. … Third, we need to continue to save and protect lives. … [W]e need to do a lot more to treat the real causes for the continued crisis in the Sahel. We owe it … as an investment in peace and development that will ultimately benefit us all” (7/19).