Developmental Assistance should be prioritized over military aid in the Sahel region in Africa

Political Stability is a prerequisite to successful military aid:There is a clear lack of leadership in the Sahel region of Africa. In Mali alone there has been three violent leadership changes in the past four years. In addition there was the Lbyan uprising which overthrew Muammar Gaddafi’s regime after eight months of war. Although supplying the new governments aid to potentially start new institutions and projects may seem ideal, when faced with the knowledge that these countries stability are constantly changing we musn't ignore military concerns and allow for a stable government that will ensure that these projects are carried through, and the aid isn't lost in the change of political power, or lost due to financial fraud due to a currupt leader, as was seen in Mali recently. Although developmental aid is importnant, a stable government must be achieved first. Military Aid more effectively fights terrorism:The OECD declared that terrorism cannot be foughten by developmental aid, excluding decreasing poverty levels and indirectly affecting it. However, this does not target the root of the problem. Although 'solving' the issue of poverty is a primary concern, it does not as accurately adress the problem at hand since there is no force behind it and there is no real way to solve poverty permantly. The threat of terrorism is continuously increasing. The United Nations Security Council today called for increased cooperation between countries in the Sahel, West Africa and the Maghreb to combat the growing threat posed by terrorist groups, transnational crime and drug trafficking throughout the Sahel region. Clearly with the rising threat of terrorism, and the fact that this threat is not adressed by developmental aid, shows the dire need of developmental assistance in the Sahel region of Africa. Developmental Aid Fails Although the ideology behind developmental aid is great, its the logistics and bureacracy that cause its flaws. For example, it is estimated that a medical officer in Tanzania spends 50–70% of the time writing reports and missions. Also, often times developmental aid does not attack important issues, or they incorrectly survey areas, costing both sides of the aid millions. For example, in the mountains of Lesotho, an aid project was implemented to develop modern livestock management and crop production and to gain access to markets. However, those living in this area realized long ago that cash crop production was not competitive given the regions' poor conditions. Also, they were not interested in farming because they were migrants who worked in South Africa with access to markets. The project was undertaken anyway and resulted in no improvements and some losses. The newly constructed roads intended to provide local farmers with access to markets actually worked in reverse, driving out the remaining farmers as crops were brought into the region. Although developmental aid has a great premise, the execution of said aid has major flaws.In addition, it is important to note that, according to the resolution, developmental aid will always be prioritized above military aid, leading to limited flexibility and adaptability. This has clear problems, for example in Mali, although there is a large problem with malnutrition and poverty, there are larger problems in the constant onslaught, terrorism, and general fighting. For this particular issue we may want to fund military aid at least equal to developmental aid, or maybe the roles may be temporarily until the fighting dies down and we can then focus more on restoring the region and implementing developmental assistance. Although this is not the main premise of my case, it is an important awknowledgement and side note. Rescources: Al Akhbar EnglishReuters UN The Review of Austrian Economics