The Special Representative of the
UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, says
the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria are becoming more
sophisticated and deadlier.
Chambas, who is Head, UN Office
for West African and the Sahel (UNOWAS), in a report presented to the UN Security
Council, said the violence was a major security threat in the region, warning
that it risks changing into terrorist attacks.
“Violence between farmers and
herders is increasingly a major security threat in the region and risks
morphing into the terrorist attacks that have defined the security landscape.
“Farmer-herder conflicts are
becoming more sophisticated and deadlier, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“During four days in June, new
spates of attacks and retribution killings between herders and farmers in this
region resulted in scores of deaths,” the UN envoy for said.
In the Lake Chad Basin, Chambas
said in spite of gains made by the Nigerian armed forces and the Multinational
Joint Task Force, Boko Haram remained active.
He added: “The trend of Boko
Haram, using female suicide bombers continues, and reportedly almost one in
five suicide bombers is a child.
“The most recent attacks on a
Nigerian military garrison in Yobe and the ambush of a military convoy in Borno
are the latest manifestations of the threats still posed by Boko Haram.
“There is a need for increased
support to diplomatic, security and humanitarian responses to Boko Haram, in a
holistic manner.
“To this end, UNOWAS is providing
technical support for a joint summit of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS),
on July 30, as called for by Security Council resolution 2349 (2017).
“Let me stress that any military
response to security challenges in the region needs to be matched by the
implementation of comprehensive strategies linking security and humanitarian
interventions to development and human rights initiatives.
“There is also need to increase
our collective efforts to address the challenges facing the Sahel region with
actions that combine politics, security and development,” Chambas stressed.
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