Climate, conflict, and extremism: Ghana’s security challenges in the sahelian spillover.
Resource scarcity driven by climate change and the rising strength of extremist groups in the Sahel threaten the security of Ghana’s northern regions.
The central Sahel is one of the regions most affected by climate change. Temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average, rainfall patterns are becoming increasingly irregular and destructive, and essential resources like water and arable land are growing scarce. These conditions force herders, mainly from the Fulani and Tuareg ethnic groups, to alter their migration patterns to escape droughts, floods, extreme heat, and desertification. This shift often leads to resource-based conflicts with sedentary farming communities, such as the Dogon and Mossi, exacerbating ethnic and religious tensions.
