Faculty of Governance, Economics and Social Sciences is organizing a conference titled ''The right to water for internally displaced persons in the Sahel Region''  scheduled on Tuesday, November 08th (05:15 p.m), and taking place at the Active Learning located in Bloc A- Main Floor.

Our guest spaker for this event is Sâ Benjamin Traoré, Assistant Professor of Law at FGSES.

ABSTRACT

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has drastically increased over the last five years in the countries of the Sahel region. This situation is linked to the rise of countless armed groups, especially in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The present paper aims to assess the existence and contours of a right to water for IDPs in the Sahel region. In doing so, it examines international humanitarian law and other international law regimes to determine the legal foundations that protect and guarantee IDPs’ right to water. The contribution provides the contextual background of armed conflict-induced displacement in the Sahel region, and demonstrates the existence of a right to water for IDPs in the Sahel countries. This right derives not only from international humanitarian law but also from other complementary international rules applicable even in conflict situations. The paper finally discusses and recommends legal and practical ways in which IDPs’ right to water can be better realized in the current context of the Sahel region.