Introduction

Violent extremism, food insecurity and weak governance have deteriorated the security environment in the Sahel region. A delegation of 10 West African Catholic and Muslim religious leaders from Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana are visiting DC this week. Bishop Alfred Adjenta convenes and chairs the Doba Candinga Conflict Transformation Committee, which is coordinating peace building efforts in these communities. Sheikh Dr Hazik Hussein Zakaria has won the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Peace and Social Justice.