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STORY: UN / CENTRAL AFRICA ARMED GROUPS
TRT: 2.09
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 12 MAY 2014, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
12 MAY 2014, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Various shots, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Abou Mussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa:
“Despite efforts made by leaders of Central African countries and their people, the sub-region remains fragile and continues to require ongoing support from the international community, particularly the United Nations.”
5. Med shots, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Abou Mussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa:
“I am pleased to inform the Council that the number of LRA related deaths, abductions, and displaced persons have continued to decline, while military operations and the defections campaign have further weakened the LRA.”
7. Med shots, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (French) Abou Mussa, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa:
“The Boko Haram group, based in Nigeria, is another cause of grave concern for Central Africa. The Islamist group continues to exploit the porosity of borders to the north east of Nigeria and neighbouring states, and the recent intensification of its violent activities has grave security and humanitarian consequences for Cameroon and Chad.”
9. Med shots, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations Regional:
“Boko Haram has no agenda other than cowardice, sadism, ignorance and death. As such, it has made itself the adversary of people everywhere. My government has pledged its support to the Nigerian government in helping to return these girls to their homes. We are prepared to assist the region in developing a comprehensive strategy to defeat Boko Haram including by pursuing UN sanctions against this group and to hold its murderous leaders accountable for their actions.”
11. Med shots, delegates
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Power, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations Regional:
“Any government should be embarrassed to be sheltering the Lord’s Resistance Army. After a quarter century of merciless brutality, the LRA should not be tolerated, let alone helped by anyone, not to mention a member state of the United Nations.”
13. Wide shot, Security Council
Significant gains have been made in recent years in combating the threat of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) but the countries of Central Africa still face numerous challenges that require continued international support, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today (12 May).
Abou Moussa, who is the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), said that despite the efforts made by leaders of Central African countries and their people, the sub-region remains fragile and continues to require ongoing support from the international community, particularly the United Nations.”
In his final briefing to the Council, Moussa highlighted UN initiatives to promote stability in the sub-region, including addressing the threat and impact of the LRA, a violent armed group that has been undermining stability in the region, as well as tackle critical security challenges such as piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea.
He reported that the number of LRA-related deaths, abductions and displaced persons have continued to decline, while military operations and the defections campaign have further weakened the LRA.
Moussa also told the Council that the Nigerian based Boko Haram group “is another cause of grave concern for Central Africa.” He said the group “continues to exploit the porosity of borders to the north east of Nigeria and neighbouring states, and the recent intensification of its violent activities has grave security and humanitarian consequences for Cameroon and Chad.”
Ambassador Susan Power of the United States said that “Boko Haram has no agenda other than cowardice, sadism, ignorance and death.” She said the US government has pledged its support to the Nigerian government in helping to return home the more than 200 girls kidnapped by group.
She said “we are prepared to assist the region in developing a comprehensive strategy to defeat Boko Haram including by pursuing UN sanctions against this group and to hold its murderous leaders accountable for their actions.”
On the LRA, she said “any government should be embarrassed to be sheltering the Lord’s Resistance Army. After a quarter century of merciless brutality, the LRA should not be tolerated, let alone helped by anyone, not to mention a member state of the United Nations.”
In a presidential statement, the Council expressed its concern at the deterioration in the security situation in parts of Central Africa, in particular the crisis in Central African Republic (CAR) and its growing regional impact, and the threat of terrorism, including the expansion of Boko Haram terrorist activities into countries in the sub-region.
The Council also expressed its continuing concern regarding maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, the illegal wildlife trade and transnational organized crime.
