Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva at UN Security Council briefing on the activities of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel
Dear Colleagues,
We thank Mr. Leonardo Simao, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, for his report on the current situation in the region and the activities of his office over the past six months. We highly appreciate the work you are conducting, including in terms of establishing dialog with other countries of the region. We support your efforts.
The past period witnessed active electoral processes in many countries of the region. We commend, for example, the peaceful transfer of power in Liberia and Senegal, which was successfully carried out despite the tense situation in the run-up to the elections in those countries. We also praise the effective work by the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission that is involved in the complex process of the state boundary demarcation. Over the past few years, the demarcation issue has presented difficulties for the two countries, but now thanks to the efforts of the Commission the demarcation process is coming to completion.
However, the situation in the area of security continues to be characterized by the increasing activity of numerous terrorist and criminal groups. The greatest threat is posed by The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and The Support Group for Islam and Muslims. The growing combat potential of the Islamic State in West Africa aggravates the situation in the countries of the Lake Chad Basin. The situation in north-eastern Nigeria also remains tense due to the activity of Boko Haram. And in Chad, the authorities are faced not only with the problems of combating jihadists, but also with huge influx of refugees from neighboring Sudan, where a long-standing confrontation continues.
The situation is also complicated in the Liptako-Gourma triangle. Terrorist attacks against civilians and armed forces in the region continue unabated. At the same time, Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger are engaged in an uncompromising and coordinated fight against terrorist groups and are making progress in stabilizing the situation on their territories.
However, many Western donors tend to reduce the amount of aid to affected countries for political reasons, or impose additional requirements and conditions on this aid. In such context, we do welcome the commitment of the states of the region, which to the best of their ability take action to assist their local population and displaced people. Efforts to improve the humanitarian and socio-economic situation must go hand in hand with security measures. The people, and especially the young people, must see prospects of a normal, stable and secure life in their countries.
The main role in maintaining peace and security in the Sahara-Sahel region belongs to the people themselves. A good illustration here was the conclusion by Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso of the "Liptako-Gourma Charter" on mutual commitments in defense and counter-terrorism. Another example is incremental progress of the countries towards the establishment of a confederation of states (the Alliance of Sahel States) announced on July 6 at the Summit of the Sahel states in Niamey. All this generates a fundamentally new architecture in the area of security and development. Not only are the armed forces of the three countries shoulder-to-shoulder conducting effective joint counter-terrorism operations, but also the Governments have outlined steps to coordinate political approaches on economic cooperation. We are convinced that such intentions and actions are primarily aimed at meeting the aspirations of the people. But what is also of no less importance is that such actions epitomize a response to ongoing attempts to impose neo-colonial models on African countries.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are in the vanguard in the fight against trans-African terrorist groups, and they merit support of the international community and, in particular, of African countries.
The reasons why these three states decided to withdraw from ECOWAS are clear. That step was a reaction to pressure and even threats of force. At the same time, we welcome the fact that some of the sanctions have been lifted. And in this regard, we are hopeful about the prospects for improving relations between the countries that face many common challenges. We are convinced of the wisdom of the West African and Sahel leaders, they are capable of deciding for themselves how to find a way out of the current situation. We expect the resumption of meaningful interaction between the two parties on the basis of mutual consideration of interests.
For our part, we will continue to contribute to the efforts by the international community aimed at ensuring stability in the region. We will continue to assist the Sahel States bilaterally and multilaterally, including in enhancing the combat capacity of the national armed forces, training their military and law enforcement personnel and by providing humanitarian aid.
Thank you for your attention.
