Conflict Prevention and Climate Change in the MINUSMA Mandate under Resolution 2423 (2018): Mission Impossible?

In recent years, intercommunal conflicts have grown at an alarming rate in various parts of West Africa and the Sahel. These violent clashes are driven by various economic, political and social causes. Among these factors, climate-related effects (i.e. drought, desertification, land degradation and food insecurity) have been definitly identified as a security concern in several UN documents, including Presidential Statements of the UN Security Council (UNSC). A remarkable development in the UN practice is however represented by the incorporation of climate change as a security issue in a number of UN Security Council resolutions (e.g. Resolution 2349 (2017) on the Lake Chad Basin and Resolution 2423 (2018) on the situation in Mali), all unanimously adopted. But what is the exact content of the UNSC commitment to address tensions and instability exacerbated by climate-related effects in the Sahel region? What are the legal and practical implications of the UNSC recommendations for the UN and its subsidiary bodies in areas characterized by generalized State weaknesses and weak enforcement of the rule of law? This article tries to answer these questions by analyzing some selected provisions of Resolution 2423 (2018) and their implementation.