Nigeria, US, Others Call For More Efforts To End Insurgency In Africa

Obama & President Buhari

The Nigerian Government, United States and others have called for more joint efforts to put an end to insurgency in Nigeria and other African countries, saying that the recent terrorist attacks around the world attest to the global reach of terrorism and the interconnectedness of all communities.

Speaking in her national capacity during a recent briefing of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Sahel, the Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Professor Joy Uche Ogwu, said she saw merit in increasing the frequency of the Council’s engagement with the Special Envoy, stressing that the activities of armed groups required close cooperation among countries in the region.

Through the Lake Chad Basin Commission, countries were collaborating in a multinational joint task force to defeat Boko Haram, she said, adding that territory had been reclaimed from that group, while education and other activities had resumed in liberated areas.


Ogwu pressed further that the government of Nigeria had started rehabilitation programmes in Boko Haram-affected areas of Nigeria, charging that regional countries should intensify efforts to attain the African Union’s “silencing the guns” goal.

Noting that the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons would support those efforts, Ogwu said strengthening regional ownership of the Sahel strategy and its prioritisation of flagship progress was welcomed.

Stressing the need for a coordinated approach, she acknowledged the African Union Strategy for the Sahel, the ECOWAS Sahel Strategy and commitments of the G5 Sahel initiatives in that context.

She also looked forward to the Secretary-General’s recommendations on enhancing cooperation and regional ownership of the Strategy.

In his own briefing, Mr. David Pressman of the United States said said the “horrific” attacks last week in Bamako, yesterday’s attack on a United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) convoy and the ongoing threat of Boko Haram demonstrated the continued risks facing the Sahel.

In Mali, he welcomed the steps of the parties to uphold the ceasefire, but called for more progress to enable country to rid itself of terrorism and strengthen democracy.  “Enhanced focus on good governance by countries of the region was critical, with improvements serving as a basis for stability across the region” he noted.

Speaking for the Russian Federation, Mr. Peter Iliichev said interested Sahel States should establish cooperation mechanisms that would allow them to take primary responsibility for the Strategy’s implementation.

On the issue of outside intervention, he said a comprehensive break-through by the joint forces combating Boko Haram had not been seen, adding that terrorists were perceived as enjoying full impunity, as the attacks in Bamako had shown.

While speaking, Mr. Alexis Lamek of France said the international community must pool its efforts to counter terrorism, noting that the Integrated Strategy should help countries establish projects that served people, through better coordination of United Nations agency activities.

In his own briefing, Mr. Liu Jieyi of China said that the international community should tackle “hot spots” by supporting regional political processes, urging support for parties in Mali to implement the peace and reconciliation agreement.

To address the crisis in Libya, the international community should promote the resolution of relevant issues, he said, adding that more broadly, it should support regional countries’ capacity and efforts to counter terrorism, adhering to the United Nations Charter in such work and not linking terrorism to any one religion or ethnicity.

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