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STORY: UN / WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHEL
TRT: 05:01
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
DATELINE: 18 NOVEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations
18 NOVEMBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We face the risk of a disastrous domino effect across the entire region. Many countries are reeling. Terrorism in the Sahel is not only a regional dramatic reality. Progressive links of its groups in Africa and beyond make it a growing global threat.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“According to the Global Terrorism Index, five of the ten countries most affected by terrorism are in the Sahel. The Sahel accounts for 19 percent of global terrorist attacks — and over half of global terrorism-related casualties. This violence and instability are unleashing massive suffering.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“I’m aware of the serious political differences that exist in the region. But it is absolutely essential that, despite these differences, we build a platform of cooperation among intelligence and security services of the countries of ECOWAS, the AES, Mauritania, Chad and Algeria to allow for coordinated action against terrorism. We must also confront a stark fact: the lack of dedicated financial resources to coordinate an appropriate regional response.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Alieu Touray, Commission President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS):
“From January to November 2025, approximately 450 terrorist incidents were recorded across the region, resulting in close to 2,000 deaths. Although the central Sahel, accounted for about 80 percent of all incidents and over 85 percent of total fatalities, the whole of West Africa and indeed the entire African region remains exposed to the threat.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Alieu Touray, Commission President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS):
“It is in this context that the Ministers of Defense and Finance met recently to agree on the activation of the standby force. The plan is to start with a brigade of 1,650 strong personnel and increase it to 5,000 gradually.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Alieu Touray, Commission President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS):
“The proliferation of several other initiatives has resulted in multiplicity and fragmentation of efforts. It has also caused problems of coordination, inclusion and ownership. Our proposal is to have ECOWAS coordinate the various initiatives and use them as operational frameworks. This will streamline efforts, build inclusion and promote ownership.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Omar Alieu Touray, Commission President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS):
“Unfortunately, the situation in our region is characterized by mistrust and high-level of suspicion among stakeholders. Therefore, I would like to call on members of this Council, and indeed the international community as a whole, to help us build trust. No amount of money, no amount of equipment will help us overcome terrorism if we don’t collaborate and build synergy,”
17. Wide shot, Security Council
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Julius Maada Bio, President, Sierra Leone:
“Let us therefore view the AES not as adversary, but as partner — anchored in shared priorities and security imperatives. The AES framework can complement ECOWAS and the African Union, while the United Nations, through UNOWAS and UNOCT, can facilitate joint platforms, fusion centres, and real-time coordination.”
19. Wide shot, Security Council
20. SOUNDBITE (French) Issa Konfourou, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Republic of Mali:
“We need an approach different from the one we have known until now—an approach that has been marked by hostile external interference, by illegal, unjust and inhumane sanctions, and even by threats of military intervention against a sovereign country. The new approach must prioritize constructive dialogue among the relevant regional actors. This is a prerequisite for any initiative of regional cooperation and coordination in the fight against terrorism in our shared space, particularly when it comes to intelligence-sharing.”
21. Wide shot, Security Council
UN Secretary-General said, “Terrorism in the Sahel is not only a regional dramatic reality. Progressive links of its groups in Africa and beyond make it a growing global threat.”
Addressing the Security Council today (18 Nov) about peace consolidation in West Africa, António Guterres said, “We face the risk of a disastrous domino effect across the entire region.”
He reported that according to the Global Terrorism Index, five of the ten countries most affected by terrorism are in the Sahel.
He added, “The Sahel accounts for 19 percent of global terrorist attacks — and over half of global terrorism-related casualties. This violence and instability are unleashing massive suffering.”
He stressed, “I’m aware of the serious political differences that exist in the region. But it is absolutely essential that, despite these differences, we build a platform of cooperation among intelligence and security services of the countries of ECOWAS, the AES, Mauritania, Chad and Algeria to allow for coordinated action against terrorism. We must also confront a stark fact: the lack of dedicated financial resources to coordinate an appropriate regional response.”
Omar Alieu Touray, Commission President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said, “From January to November 2025, approximately 450 terrorist incidents were recorded across the region, resulting in close to 2,000 deaths. Although the central Sahel, accounted for about 80 percent of all incidents and over 85 percent of total fatalities, the whole of West Africa and indeed the entire African region remains exposed to the threat.”
He also said, “It is in this context that the Ministers of Defense and Finance met recently to agree on the activation of the standby force. The plan is to start with a brigade of 1,650 strong personnel and increase it to 5,000 gradually.”
He continued, “The proliferation of several other initiatives has resulted in multiplicity and fragmentation of efforts. It has also caused problems of coordination, inclusion and ownership. Our proposal is to have ECOWAS coordinate the various initiatives and use them as operational frameworks. This will streamline efforts, build inclusion and promote ownership.”
He highlighted, “Unfortunately, the situation in our region is characterized by mistrust and high-level of suspicion among stakeholders. Therefore, I would like to call on members of this Council, and indeed the international community as a whole, to help us build trust. No amount of money, no amount of equipment will help us overcome terrorism if we don’t collaborate and build synergy,”
Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leonean President and current ECOWAS, said, “Let us therefore view the AES not as adversary, but as partner — anchored in shared priorities and security imperatives. The AES framework can complement ECOWAS and the African Union, while the United Nations, through UNOWAS and UNOCT, can facilitate joint platforms, fusion centres, and real-time coordination.”
Issa Konfourou, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mali to the United Nations said, “We need an approach different from the one we have known until now—an approach that has been marked by hostile external interference, by illegal, unjust and inhumane sanctions, and even by threats of military intervention against a sovereign country. The new approach must prioritize constructive dialogue among the relevant regional actors. This is a prerequisite for any initiative of regional cooperation and coordination in the fight against terrorism in our shared space, particularly when it comes to intelligence-sharing.”
