Efforts to stabilize Africa’s Sahel region have largely overlooked one critical driver of tensions: the centuries-old but increasingly violent disputes between herding and farming communities. A recent influx of weapons has given these conflicts new and deadly force, with global implications.

The U.N. Security Council is engaging in crucial discussions over the future of its peacekeeping mission in Darfur. As member states debate what shape the mission will take, they should keep in mind that supporting Sudan’s democratic transformation also requires a commitment to upholding security in Darfur.