Sahelian Shepherds still struggling 25 years after the big drought

Since the early 1970s, the position of pastoralists in West Africa's Sahel zone has become ever more precarious. Their plight is evidenced by rural-urban migration movements as well as the results of field surveys. The last major drought of 1983-1985 delivered a major blow to communities which derive most of their food and revenues from herding. In many rangeland areas there is civil unrest - even building to armed conflict in places - owing to mounting tensions between various pastoral groups. Daunted by the complexities of the issues and the difficulties of finding appropriate ways of intervening, more and more aid organisations are becoming less and less involved in pastoral development.