The visiting delegation in a meeting with H.E. Prime Minister of Niger Brigi Rafini (in white).
The UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), accompanied by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), conducted a regional high-level visit to the four States of the Lake Chad Basin from 13 to 17 February 2017. The main objectives of the visit were to discuss current threats; listen to the concerns of the Governments of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; identify shared challenges; discuss how the international community could support their national and regional counter-terrorism efforts; and discuss regional counter-terrorism cooperation.
The delegation met with high-level officials of the four States, as well as with representatives of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and its Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). Members of the delegation included Executive Director Jean-Paul Laborde of CTED, as well as the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) Mohamed Ibn Chambas and Central Africa (UNOCA) François Loncény Fall (Acting SRSG), respectively.
Even though Boko Haram has suffered significant military setbacks at the hands of the MNJTF, it has been able to adapt its operations and remains a potent force. During December 2016 and January 2017, it carried out 128 attacks, resulting in the deaths of 139 civilians. In Nigeria, where it remains most active, it continues to be subject to significant air and ground military pressure, particularly in Borno State. The humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad Basin region remains a serious concern, with a growing number of people suffering from food insecurity.
In accordance with Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), the Committee has been working closely with Member States to identity challenges relating to foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). One of the main concerns for States is to determine how to deal with returning FTFs, including how to develop and implement prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration strategies for returning foreign terrorist fighters. The Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Madrid Guiding Principles address some of the main questions and issues involved, and CTED continues to assist the four Lake Chad Basin States and other Member States to translate these principles into practice.