Mali is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world. Between 1970 and 2020, the country experienced at least 40 major climate shocks, with drought affecting around 400,000 people each year and reducing crop revenues by US$9.5 million annually, according to the World Bank.
In Mali, climate change is a major factor in conflict, according to an August 2025 report by the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). Due to the degradation of grazing lands from declining soil fertility, the report says, farmers are expanding their cultivation into traditional herding routes. This has led to violent conflicts between farmers and herders.
In order to recruit more members, violent extremist groups have exploited these conflicts, taking advantage of ethnic and religious differences and land rights. Young people are particularly vulnerable to falling prey to extremist groups in this context.
Climate change issues also disproportionately impact women, who are crucial to farming and household survival, by forcing them to travel farther for fuelwood and water. Conflict also puts women at an increased risk of gender-based violence.
The UNSDG provides examples of some projects that have shown success in building resilience to climate change and reducing conflict. It also, along with other organizations, recommends several further steps for the Malian government and international partners to take to resolve climate conflict and build peace in Mali.
The UNSDG notes that local authorities and communities can improve early warning systems providing advanced information about approaching hazards such as droughts and floods. This, the UNSDG says, has helped by allowing people to evacuate to safer places, and letting farmers take steps to protect their crops.
Trainings combining science with traditional knowledge are improving the situation. These trainings focus on assisted natural regeneration, and land, and water management, and are helping farmers and pastoralists adapt to changing climatic conditions, UNSDG reports.
Another solution is reviving traditional laws for environmental sustainability. Salif Aly Guindo, president of Barahogon, a traditional institution of the Dogon ethnic group, said the group has re-established traditional laws for sustainable use of forests. Since then, she said, “trees and forests have begun to regenerate, reducing conflicts and floods.” Now, people in towns like Djénné and Mopti are following the group’s model, she added.
Maliki Hamadoun Sankaré, a young Malian entrepreneur who launched Socco-Agro-Business to boost local rice and vegetable production, is working to provide young people with jobs. He said, “We want to create several jobs in the agricultural sector by 2030, especially for the youth in rural areas, to reduce rural exodus.”
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recommends in a 2023 report, “long-term development strategies on issues where the impact of climate change entails conflict risks: livelihood security, herder-farmer relations, resource disputes, community conflict, governance, social marginalisation and exclusion.”
SIPRI encourages the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to work with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to appoint an Environmental Security Advisor for prioritising climate, peace and security risks within MINUSMA, as well as for “coordinating effective responses with the rest of the UN system, the Malian government, civil society, international and regional partners.”
Another suggestion for the Malian government by SIPRI is to strengthen the leadership and participation of women and girls in decision making on conflict-sensitive resource management, climate adaptation and responses to climate, peace, and security risks.
Finally, SIPRI recommends that the Malian government and its partners, which include the African Union (AU), European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN), agree on a climate-sensitive stabilisation strategy. This strategy, SIPRI says, should combine security and attention to development needs, governance reforms, and political dialogues, to tackle the causes of conflict in Mali’s ten regions and in transboundary areas like the Liptako-Gourma. This includes causes affected by climate change.
Meanwhile, further research is continuing. According to a March 2025 report by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Malian stakeholders recommend “designing programs that enhance the ability of local communities to cope with climate impacts and security threats.” These research-based recommendations, the report says, are expected to guide a technical committee in developing Mali’s first national climate security strategy.
Keywords: climate change, peace, Mali, Malian, government, farmer-herder conflict, conflict, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, environmental peacebuilding
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
