UN envoy urges fight against Africa Sahel region terror

By Olarewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Increasing terror activities around Lake Chad in Nigeria, Chad and Niger, and insecurity in the Sahel region could spread globally if the international community look the other way, a UN special representative for West Africa said Wednesday.

Mohammed Ibn Chambas told the graduation class of the Nigerian Army War College in Abuja that terrorists were building networks and they are eager to expand their territory.

"There is need for borderless and international cooperation. Sustainable peace should be the goal of all nations because of new and emerging security threats in the world," Chambas said.

He said the Sahel region can only get rid of insecurity through international and regional cooperation.

"We can't solve insecurity problem in isolation," he maintained.

Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lieut. Gen. Tukur Buratai said the nation's military forces were working to tackle terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crimes and democratic governance in the Sahel region -- identified as four major security threats by the UN Security Council.

He asked countries in the region to work closely with other nations having similar challenges.

Conflict and violence are forcing huge displacement of civilians in Nigeria, Mali, Sudan, Niger and Burkina Faso, according to the International Migration Organization that said millions of people have fled their homes in search of safety and food.

Nearly three million people have been displaced in Nigeria because of Boko Haram terror group violence and more than 30,000 killed, according to a report by the UN Humanitarian Refugee Council.