Only international action can restore security in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, says Niger President

“Niger is convinced that the many threats to international peace and security cannot be resolved by individual states, but by collective action by the international community,” Mr. Issoufou told the Assembly, which is holding its annual high-level session virtually due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

Terrorism in the Sahel

Mr. Issoufou welcomed the strengthening of the operational and intelligence capacities of the defense and security forces at the national level, the operationalization of the multinational Joint Force (Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad) in the Lake Chad Basin and the G5 Sahel Joint Force (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad).

“For long-term financing of [these joint initiatives], I welcome the proposal of [UN] Secretary-General António Guterres, who has recommended drawing inspiration from the model used to set up the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia (AMISOM),” he stated, referring to the regional peacekeeping operation led by that AU and backed by the UN Security Council. 

The creation of the coalition to fight terrorism in the Sahel, the establishment of a joint command for all the participating military forces including those French (Barkhane) and European (Takuba), the upcoming deployment by the AU of a contingent of 3,000 men, the initiatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), “are all elements that raise the hope of a victory over our common enemy: terrorism and organized crime ,” he continued.