I thought trees needed water to grow. Not much rain if any in a desert.
If ya give ‘em water, there’s a risk that they won’t die of thirst! Virtual signaling leftists don’t want that to happen!
That’s the obvious reason for lack of trees—lack of water. The Sahel region is marginal—not as dry as the Sahara so it gets some rain except when there is a drought. So it may be possible to plant drought-resistant trees which can survive periodic droughts. But why hasn’t Mother Nature already seen to that if such plants are available? Maybe the locals burned them all for firewood.