THE United States Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Richard Mills, has said Boko Haram and ISIS-WA continue to threaten the peace of West Africa.
Mills, who spoke on Wednesday at the UN Security Council briefing in New York, noted that the development has led to the displacement of millions of civilians.
The United States, Mills said, supports the regional coordination and efforts to combat the actions of these terrorist groups and to implement holistic strategies that address the underlying drivers of terrorism.
“Turning to Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa, we condemn, as others have, their attacks against civilians. These terrorist organisations continue to threaten the region’s peace and development. The displacement of millions of civilians, compounded by the drought, is a terrible situation that requires significant humanitarian assistance. The United States supports the regional coordination and efforts by neighbors and the Multinational Joint Task Force to combat the actions of these terrorist groups and to implement holistic strategies that address the underlying drivers of terrorism,” Mills said.
He added that terrorists were impacting on the food security crisis across the Central African region.
He said: “About 2.2 million people in the Central African Republic are projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity classified in crisis or worse between April and August 2022, due to conflict, population displacement, and high food prices. Unfortunately, people throughout the Central African region have suffered from significant food, fertiliser, and fuel shortages exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s illegal invasion has affected the entire global food supply chain, increasing suffering and hardship for millions of people across the globe, but has caused particular harm in Africa. We call again on Russia to end its war on Ukraine.
“I would like now to talk about several countries in Central Africa where people are owed greater progress towards democratic reforms, as we heard from our civil society speaker. The United States reaffirms the importance of a peaceful, timely transition to a democratically elected and civilian-led government in Chad. We urge the Chadian transitional government to signal commitment to the political transition by reaching a thorough and swift resolution to political-military negotiations underway in Doha. To achieve durable stability and prosperity in Chad, an inclusive national dialogue should begin as soon as feasible and pave the way for a constitutional referendum and free and fair elections.
“We also, as others do, remain concerned about the continued violence in Cameroon, including the Far North, Northwest, and Southwest regions of the country. We continue to urge all participants to end the violence. A broader dialogue without preconditions is needed for a peaceful and durable resolution. And the United States supports UNOCA’s role in promoting inclusive political dialogue in Cameroon, and we strongly encourage transparency in efforts to investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuses.”
