UN COP16 summit tackles forced migration and insecurity

COP16 has highlighted the urgent link between desertification, land degradation and drought — which are worsening forced migration and threatening global stability.

Up to 40% of the world's agricultural land is already degraded, and this figure increases each year, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The land is not just a means of livelihood — it is the soul of the people, it carries their stories, dreams and hopes, said UNCCD chief Ibrahim Thiaw at the opening of COP16 talks on desertification in the Saudi city of Riyadh.

However, the fertile soil that once sustained them is turning barren, unable to support crops or quench the thirst of livestock, according to experts, who say that this loss is not merely an environmental tragedy — it forces millions of people to seek refuge elsewhere.

Declining resources, displaced populations

According to COP16 President Abderrahman Al-Fadhli, the Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, droughts and land degradation are fueling not only rural and cross-border migration but also conflicts.

"A large portion of resource-related conflicts and political instabilities are associated with land degradation and resource loss, which drive migrations. These migrations occur from rural areas to cities, or across borders, largely due to droughts and land degradation," he said.

In northern Kenya, families are leaving their villages, abandoning dilapidated homes and cracked fields for makeshift camps or overcrowded cities.

This reality is particularly evident in the Kenyan county of Marsabit, where sociologist and economist Julia Fuelscher, an expert in adaptation, provides support to the most vulnerable.

"Many migrations originate from Marsabit and Turkana to Nairobi. Some even leave the country for Riyadh, which attracts Kenyans due to its environment being more aligned with their faith and needs," explained Fuelscher, who is participating in discussions in Riyadh. 

The Lake Chad Basin: a region in crisis

Salimata, 33, is a member of the Mbororo community in Chad. The mother of two is also attending COP16 in Riyadh.

"When the rains stopped, we tried to stay. We dug deeper wells, reduced our meals, sold our livestock. But nothing was enough," she recounted during an Indigenous people's meeting at COP16. For Salimata and her husband, the decision to leave their small village was quickly made.

One of the most striking illustrations of the consequences of land degradation can be found in the Lake Chad Basin, where more than 6 million people will experience food shortages in the coming months "due to conflict and the effects of climate change," according to humanitarian estimates cited by the Red Cross. 

Once vast, the Lake Chad has lost 90% of its area in a few decades. In this region, drought and land degradation not only lead to population displacement but also exacerbate other crises, according to Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Nigerian Minister of Environment.

"We have very serious cases in the Sahara Desert region. Let me give you a clear example: Lake Chad, which is shared by countries like Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger. This lake is nearly dried up, with less than 9% of its original area remaining," Lawal said.

"This perfectly illustrates the land degradation we are talking about. If you visit the site, you will see that the ecosystem has been completely disrupted."

"This is a major problem in northern Nigeria, where desertification has caused unrest, including issues linked to Boko Haram," added Lawal, refering to the extremist group that launched an insurgency in the region nearly 15 years ago. 

Northern Nigeria, once fertile, allowed residents to live off fishing, farming, and other activities. Today, recurrent droughts and land degradation have left them with nothing.

"This demonstrates a very close relationship between land degradation and insecurity, particularly in Nigeria," the minister emphasized.

The exacerbated vulnerabilities of marginalized communities

Desertification — a form of land degradation by which fertile land loses much of its biological and economic productivity, and becomes desert — is one of the most significant challenges Nigeria faces in the north, particularly in the states of Borno and Yobe, as well as the border areas with Chad and parts of Cameroon.

Desertification acts as a silent ally of insecurity. Instability is spreading, and governments, often overwhelmed, struggle to restore sustainable balance.

The loss of livelihoods in the Lake Chad Basin leads to numerous consequences. In some cases, the struggle for resources degenerates into communal violence, manipulated by armed groups exploiting desperation to recruit new members, said Chadian activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim.

"With resource scarcity, communities move to concentrate around these lakes, especially on the Chadian side. This causes intercommunal conflicts," Ibrahim said.

"At the same time, Boko Haram, active throughout the region, takes advantage. They sometimes offer to pay people. For someone who doesn't have five dollars to survive the year, it is easy to accept anything to preserve their dignity."

In many cultures, men bear the responsibility of providing for their families, Ibrahim noted.

"When they can no longer meet their families' needs, they are ready to do anything to save their dignity. This can push them to migrate to other regions, cross the sea — where many perish — or traverse deserts, where some die of thirst. I have cousins who died in the desert due to a lack of water," she testified.

A call for global action 

Faced with these challenges, UNCCD chief Thiaw called for immediate action.

"When you are a doctor and a patient arrives bleeding, the first thing to do is stop the hemorrhage. We must therefore stop land degradation. Then, we need to apply a tourniquet and seek to heal the wound."

For Thiaw, restoring land is a way of healing the wounds inflicted on the planet. He called for increased financial mobilization for land restoration, agricultural production, food security, and reducing migrations and conflicts.

Initiatives like the Great Green Wall, which aims to restore millions of hectares of degraded land in Africa, demonstrate that it is possible to reverse the trend and keep populations in their localities.

However, these projects require increased funding, which is still slow to materialize.

Cover photo: Record-breaking droughts are becoming a 'new normal' for billions of people yet few countries are taking the threat seriously, researchers warn