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7748th Security Council Meeting: Peace and Security in Africa
Speakers Hail Regional Military Efforts, Call for More International Support
Violence by Boko Haram had led to massive forced displacement and a widespread humanitarian crisis in West Africa’s Lake Chad Basin, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as speakers called for increased international support for regional efforts to combat terrorism and meet the needs of 9.2 million people facing unimaginable desperation across four countries.
Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Stephen O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed the Council ahead of a debate on peace and security in Africa, describing the dramatic impacts of terrorism and humanitarian needs on the region. Mr. Feltman had visited Gabon, Congo, Chad, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, from 20 to 26 July, and Mr. O’Brien travelled to Nigeria and Niger in May.
Mr. Feltman welcomed efforts by the Lake Chad Basin countries to combat Boko Haram, noting that the Multinational Joint Task Force comprising military forces from those countries, had recaptured 80 per cent of territory under the group’s control. However, it faced a severe lack of funding, he said, noting that only $250 million had been pledged at an African Union donors’ conference held on 1 February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Even less had been disbursed, he said, emphasizing that success for the Task Force would depend on timely, actionable intelligence as well as specialized counter-terrorism skills and equipment.
“Lake Chad Basin countries need our support to help ensure that military operations are followed by stabilization measures and the restoration of State authority,” he continued. Noteworthy recommendations had emerged from a regional security summit held on 14 May in Abuja, Nigeria, which had underscored the impact of climate change. He encouraged the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to adopt a common regional strategy to address the crisis.
Mr. O’Brien said boundless insecurity had weakened a region already impacted by environmental degradation — including the shrinking of Lake Chad — the world’s highest population growth and widespread extreme poverty. An estimated 9 million people across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon were in need of assistance, he said, adding that 2.8 million of them had been displaced by violence. In Nigeria, home to 7 million of the 9 million people in need, 244,000 children in Borno State suffered from severe malnutrition, while in Niger, a single attack by Boko Haram in June had left more than 70,000 people displaced in Bosso town.
He went on to spotlight the existence of more than 60,000 registered displaced persons and tens of thousands of unregistered ones in Chad’s Lac region, adding that in the Far North region of Cameroon, the number of people needing immediate food aid had quadrupled to more than 200,000 since June 2015. Indeed, the Lake Chad Basin was as much a humanitarian catastrophe as a security priority. “I have been shouting into what feels like an empty room to highlight this dire situation,” he said, calling for increased international attention to the region. “It is within our — and your — power to be relevant.”
In the ensuing debate, speakers agreed that the Lake Chad Basin faced multiple interconnected challenges: poverty, terrorism, organized crime and climate change among them. Many commended regional countries for their leadership in combating Boko Haram and advocated increased support for the Multinational Joint Task Force in the form of training, capacity-building, equipment and logistics. On that point, the Russian Federation’s representative said it should not be forgotten that Boko Haram had declared allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), which had established itself in Libya. Such links made it necessary to address that urgent threat in Africa.
Speakers also expressed concern over the alarming humanitarian situation, with France’s representative saying that his country’s President had launched the Lake Chad initiative. Egypt’s representative said that addressing the crisis was a top international priority, adding that his country was prepared to step up its cooperation with Governments in the region. He called for a holistic approach to address political, military, humanitarian and development challenges.
The representative of the United States said the need for robust military efforts to combat Boko Haram was critical, given the group’s ability to move across borders. Noting her country’s contributions, she urged more Member States to step up while emphasizing the need to respect human rights. When security forces rounded up civilians and carried out torture and scorched earth tactics, they alienated those whose support was crucial, she cautioned. More must be also done to address the region’s dire humanitarian situation. “We have to plan the long game in countering violent extremism” while at the same time keeping people alive “in the here and now”.
Senegal’s representative said the drastic shrinking of Lake Chad, together with climate change and over-exploitation of natural resources, had left people vulnerable, especially to terrorist groups like Boko Haram. Regional countries needed more support to deal with security, humanitarian and sustainable development challenges.
Along similar lines, Angola’s representative said that shifting climate patterns, diversion of water and increasing demand had impacted Lake Chad’s size. The Basin was no longer able to provide livelihoods and the related poverty and joblessness had created fertile conditions for radicalism and terrorism.
Also speaking today were representatives of the United Kingdom, Spain, China, Ukraine, Malaysia, Venezuela, Uruguay, New Zealand and Japan.
The meeting began at 10:03 a.m. and ended at 12:02 p.m.
