UN Security Council welcomes peaceful West Africa polls, flays Boko Haram insurgency

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday commended the positive political development in some West African countries following elections conducted in 2015.
The Security Council commended in particular the conduct of free and peaceful elections in Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.
This was contained in a statement issued by the council and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria in New York.
It stressed the importance of the upcoming elections in Niger, Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana and Gambia to be free, fair, peaceful, inclusive and credible.
The council further said it would follow development in preparation and conduct of elections by the affected countries with great attention.
It, however, expressed concerns that the political tension may continue to erode governance in Guinea-Bissau and jeopardise the consolidation of the gains achieved in the country since the elections that held in 2014.
It called upon national leaders of Guinea-Bissau to work at sustaining stability through substantive political dialogue in order to prevent escalation of tensions or relapse into conflict.
The Council also encouraged the country to foster a climate conducive to national reconciliation, as well as democratic, social and economic reconstruction.
It noted the collaboration between UN Office for West Africa and the Peace Building Commission.
The statement encouraged them to continue close and effective cooperation to maximise impacts of sustainable peace in the region.
The council reiterated its strong condemnation of the recurrent terrorist attacks carried out in the region, in particular in Mali and the Sahel, as well as in the Lake Chad Basin region, notably by Boko Haram.
The members of the council stressed the need to combat all forms of terrorism.
It expressed particular concern about the protection of civilians, who were the main targets of attacks by terrorist groups.
The council welcomed the regional and international efforts to mitigate the security, humanitarian and development consequences of attacks.
It took note of the progress made in the operationalisation of the Multinational Joint Task Force, including the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the AU.
The council encouraged member states, multilateral and bilateral partners to lend their support to the Task Force to ensure its full and prompt operations.
It expressed full support for UNOWA’s Special Representative, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, and welcomed the activities undertaken by the office.
It commended the engagement of UNOWA with regional and sub-regional organisations, like the AU, ECOWAS, Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Mano River Union, to promote peace and stability in West Africa.
NAN.