The UN Security Council raised concerns Wednesday about security and the humanitarian situation in the Sahel, citing arms proliferation and the influence of militant groups in the African region.
The 15-member Security Council, which reviewed the situation following the release of a report by a UN mission, said many of the problems have been present for years but have been exacerbated by the Libyan crisis.
“In this context, the members of the Security Council expressed their concern about the security and humanitarian situation in the Sahel region,” the council said in a statement.
It said “arms proliferation, and large-scale influx of returnees from Libya, exacerbated long-standing and serious problems including terrorist activities by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram, transnational organized crime including illicit drug trafficking, recurrent food crises and lack of development in vulnerable remote areas.”
The council members expressed their strong support for efforts by countries in the region to deal with those challenges and stressed “the urgent need for a coordinated and inclusive approach by all main stakeholders.”
A UN mission that traveled to the Sahel highlighted in its report last week the threat posed by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which is active in Nigeria, and its links with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
It recounted numerous examples of increased activity by terrorist groups and organized crime in the Sahel since the Libyan crisis, and called for greater regional and international cooperation.
Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, and Mali are among the countries faced with growing insecurity linked to attacks involving Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other criminal groups.
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