Africa : Are Borders in Danger?

Key Insights

African borders remain fragile due to a lack of appropriate policies, sufficient resources, and reliable professional practices.

The vastness of territories and ecological constraints make monitoring particularly difficult.

Regional cooperation remains limited, which weakens the effectiveness of border arrangements.

A national strategy structured around diagnosis, strengthening mixed forces, and increased use of technology is essential.

Enhanced regional coordination, based on pooling resources and creating specialized cross-country units, is crucial for sustainably securing borders.

Challenges and vulnerabilities of African borders

Mastery of borders faces limits that are human, legal, natural, and technological. The larger the territory, the greater the limits of its security and control. The challenge of border control and monitoring is therefore complex enough that we must cover it comprehensively. However, four areas should be considered: land, maritime, air borders, and cyberspace.

Several issues affect the integrity of African countries' borders, but recent years have confirmed the need for these countries to mobilize more at both the national and regional levels to counter these threats.

A brief diagnosis of the borders of African countries highlights, among other vulnerabilities:

a) The absence of a national border control policy; b) The inadequacy of appropriate human and technical resources for border control; c) The lack of professionalism and corruption within certain units responsible for control; d) The state fragility that prevents some countries in post-crisis or crisis situations from preserving their territorial integrity (Mali, Burkina, etc.); e) The often hostile vastness of the territory, requiring heavy technical and human resources (Niger, DRC, etc.); f) The ecological fragility (desertification and drought) of certain states in the Sahelian zone, for example; g) The inadequacy or non-existence of effective consultation at the regional level; h) The inefficiency of existing border arrangements, particularly juxtaposed control posts; i) The low budgets allocated for border control.

This brief state of affairs certainly depicts a less than honorable reality regarding the porosity of African countries borders. The consequences of this growing porosity are multiple and complex.

However, we consider the following threats to be the most critical:

a) Transnational crime primarily manifested by: drug trafficking, arms trafficking, money laundering, terrorism, and networks of illegal migration; b) Illegal immigration, which is growing each year with its socio-economic and security consequences; c) The spread of deadly diseases such as Ebola.

Without denying all the efforts already made by African states to secure their borders and facilitate the free movement of people and goods, we propose a strategy likely to facilitate the mastery of the region's borders.

To strengthen the mastery and security of African borders

The response involves implementing a multidimensional and inclusive strategy, articulated around two major axes:

a) A national response: To ensure control of the borders, it is essential to start with a comprehensive diagnosis of vulnerabilities and strengths, in order to establish a clear national strategy. This strategy relies on the mobilization of human resources (mixed forces such as the gendarmerie, customs, and police) and technological means (biometrics, drones, video surveillance, radars, sensors, etc.), while considering innovative options such as involving local communities. Three pillars structure this system: surveillance, alert, and intervention, requiring the establishment of dedicated mechanisms and the strengthening of intelligence capacities. Outsourcing certain tasks to specialized groups is also recommended to benefit from integrated and effective systems.

b) A regional response: The regional dimension of the fight against border permeability relies on pooling resources and sharing data. Indeed, by mutualizing the means of each country, the effort is shared and the concerted action is therefore coherent. This fight being costly, it is appropriate for each country on the continent to contribute to a collective effort either financially or by providing human and/or logistical resources. Regional cooperation remains the most suitable solution to strengthen the impermeability of borders and thus protect populations from insidious threats such as terrorism. The establishment of specialized inter-country units would be an effective option for better controlling said borders. Like Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard Agency), the creation of UEMOA customs would be a step forward towards efficiency and a guarantee of successful cooperation in managing both human and material flows.

It is worth noting that an examination of the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems in countries such as South Korea, Canada, and Switzerland could inspire African decision-makers to choose effective, sustainable, and human rights-respecting solutions. The creation of modern border posts, equipped and operational for surveillance, alert, and intervention, would allow for better management and/or control of the borders of African countries. Additionally, the establishment of professional mobile units at the borders would provide better coverage of them. Finally, let us not forget that any principle of surveillance raises the issue of democratic control and respect for fundamental rights, due to the multiple possible abuses.