S/PV.7492 Security Council

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council has before it the text of a statement by the President on behalf of the Council on the subject of today’s meeting. I thank the Council members for their valuable contributions to this statement. In accordance with the understanding reached among the members of the Council, I shall take it that the members of the Security Council agree to the statement, which will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2015/14. It is so decided. I shall now give the floor to the members of the Security Council who wish to make statements.

I thank you, Sir, for convening this meeting of the Security Council on the topic of threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, at which the Council has adopted presidential statement S/PRST/2015/14, concerning the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram. Chad welcomes the consensus adoption of the statement and thanks all delegations for their valuable contributions, commitment and flexibility throughout the negotiations on the draft text proposed by the delegation of Chad. The terrorist group Boko Haram, recently renamed the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, has increased its horrific attacks and atrocities against peaceful civilians in all the riparian States of Lake Chad, sowing destruction and death. The impact of these attacks and atrocities is incalculable. Over 10,000 people have been killed and over 1.5 million internally displaced. Over 200,000 have sought refuge in Nigeria’s neighbouring States. Dozens of towns and villages have been destroyed. Subregional economic and trade routes have been profoundly disrupted. Aware of the serious security situation in the Sahel in general and in the subregion in particular, the States members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) have spared no effort in effectively confronting the threat, as attested by the various summits and ministerial meetings held by the African Union and the LCBC, the Economic Community of Central African States and the Economic Community of West African States. These efforts have allowed us to launch a robust military operation and to establish the Multinational Joint Task Force. Chad commends the great sacrifices made by the armed forces of the countries of the Lake Chad Basin and reiterates its commitment to fighting Boko Haram alongside them. We pay a warm tribute to all the courageous soldiers of the armies engaged in this fight who have paid the ultimate price. Through me, Chad also wishes to thank all our bilateral and multilateral partners — in particular France, the United States and the European Union — for their intelligence, logistics, technical and financial support. In just a few days later this month, the Multinational Joint Task Force will be operational and ready to fight Boko Haram. With that in mind, we welcome the Security Council’s appeal for greater support for the efforts of the countries of the LCBC and Benin, and ask the international community to contribute generously to the African Union Trust Fund established to that end. We also count on the support of the Secretary-General in further mobilizing the international community as a whole. Moreover, if we are to find a long-term solution to the terrorist threat and its consequences, we must be sure to take into account issues related to socioeconomic development. In that regard, the support of the international community should also target the rehabilitation of the affected communities and zones, quick-impact projects and the return and reintegration of refugees. In conclusion, we emphasize that Boko Haram has been weakened militarily but is not yet fully defeated. It remains a serious cross-border threat and is capable of reorganizing itself with the support of the vast terrorist network entrenched in the Sahel. The increase in asymmetric attacks and cowardly assaults in all the countries of the Lake Chad Basin is a sorry manifestation of that capacity. The best way to eradicate this scourge is through the Multinational Joint Task Force established by the LCBC members and Benin, to be headquartered in N’Djamena. The reach, duration and effectiveness of the Force’s activities will lagrely depend on the means made available to it. The countries involved will be unable to assume that burden alone, and the international community will need to assume its share of the responsibility. Like the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, Boko Haram poses a real and major threat to international peace and security to which no one can remain indifferent.