AA / Bamako / Amarana Maiga
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Martha Pobee, said the G5 Sahel joint force “is considering a new concept of operations to deal with the evolution of the security and humanitarian situation and the withdrawal from Mali”.
Martha Pobee was speaking to the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
According to her, it is in this context that the UN, the African Union (AU) and others are supporting a High-Level Independent Panel on Security and Development in the Sahel, aimed at “mobilizing more attention and of resources at the national, sub-regional, regional and international levels and to propose innovative means to meet the challenges of security, governance and development in the region”.
Martha Pobee said “the security situation in the Sahel continues to deteriorate”, explaining that the indiscriminate terrorist violence “means that thousands of innocent civilians suffer and millions more are forced from their homes”.
“This insecurity is exacerbating an already catastrophic humanitarian situation”, continues the Under-Secretary General for Africa at the Departments of Political Affairs, stressing that women and children are the main victims of violence.
Ms. Pobee says that by supporting the G5 Sahel, “the UN is strengthening regional capacities to improve criminal justice, border security management and the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism, as armed groups continue to grow in the region.
“Defeating terrorism and violent extremism requires a comprehensive response and will not be achieved through military gains alone,” said Martha Pobee.
And to add: “It is important that the joint force integrates human rights and international humanitarian law at the heart of its operations, otherwise it risks creating new fertile ground for violent extremist groups”.
The senior UN official expressed the urgent need for progress in the response to violent extremism saying that “if we fail in this effort, the effects of terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime will be felt well. beyond the Sahel region and indeed the African continent”.
As a reminder, Mali has officially withdrawn from all G5 Sahel bodies “including the joint force” to protest, among other things, once morest the “opposition” of certain Member States to its presidency of the G5 Sahel, denouncing the ” maneuvers of an “extra-regional state” aimed at isolating it.
Created in February 2015, the G5 Sahel is an institutional framework bringing together five Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Chad) facing common development and security challenges.
It has a joint counter-terrorism force.
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