Consider the following statements:

Statement-I:
There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.

Statement-II:
There have been military takeovers/coups d’état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Correct Answer: (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

Explanation

Option (a): Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
- Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
  - This is correct as the Sahel region has been experiencing severe security and humanitarian crises, exacerbated by violent extremist organizations and weak governance .
- Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d’état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
  - This is also correct as there have been multiple coups in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020 .
- Explanation: The military takeovers have contributed to the instability and worsening security situation by disrupting governance and enabling extremist groups to exploit the resulting power vacuums .
Option (b): Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
- While both statements are correct, the military coups have directly contributed to the instability and worsening security situation, making this option incorrect.
Option (c): Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
- This option is incorrect because Statement-II is correct; there have indeed been military coups in the Sahel region.
Option (d): Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
- This option is incorrect because Statement-I is correct; the Sahel region is experiencing instability and a worsening security situation.

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Instability and Worsening Security Situation:
- The Sahel region faces severe and complex security and humanitarian crises, exacerbated by violent extremist organizations like Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
- The region has seen a dramatic increase in violence, with significant fatalities and displacement of populations.
Military Takeovers/Coups d’état:
- Since 2020, there have been multiple successful coups in the Sahel region, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger .
- These coups have often been justified by the perpetrators as necessary to address corruption, economic mismanagement, and security failures of the previous regimes .
Impact of Coups on Security:
- The coups have led to the withdrawal of international counterterrorism support, creating a vacuum that extremist groups have exploited .
- The military regimes have adopted militarized approaches to counter-insurgency, which have often escalated violence rather than containing it .
International and Regional Dynamics:
- The coups have strained relations with Western countries and organizations like ECOWAS, leading to sanctions and further isolation of the junta-led governments .
- The involvement of external actors like Russia and the Wagner Group has further complicated the security landscape, as these actors have supported the military regimes in exchange for influence in the region .