The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States have urged Nigeria and other countries in the Sahel to implement a unified approach in the fight against terrorism and radicalism in the region.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on UNOWAS, Mohammed Ibn Chambers, observed that despite the renewed efforts to tackle the threats to stability and development, the Sahel and Lake Chad regions continued to be fragile with increasing violence and terrorist activities.
It was noted that proliferation of arms in the regions was a major challenge that could only be addressed with strong commitment and cooperation among member states.
Chambers therefore advocated for efforts at harmonising partnership, building synergies and a joint intervention among the states.
Also the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Brou, noted that regional efforts in anti-terrorism campaigns should not center on repressive approaches, the military force which often time do not end the crisis.
He said, “The focus should be on prevention, targeting specific areas like job creation for the teeming youth population, poverty reduction, education among others.
“It is indispensable to strengthen our collaboration in the areas of resources mobilisation, as well as aligning development projects of member states with regional targets and goals.”