Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations on Tuesday, says the regional troops deployed to combat terrorists in Africa’s Sahel region facing operational and logistical challenges.

Mr Lacroix briefed the UN Security Council on Peace and Security in Africa and on the activities of the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5) at the UN headquarters in New York.

Despite a deteriorating security situation and the COVID-19 pandemic, the official noted that the troops had scaled up efforts in a spirit of solidarity among their global partners.

The UN peacekeeping official told the council that the fight against armed groups in the Sahel had intensified since late 2020.

He described the joint force first deployed in 2017 by the ‘Group of Five’ (G-5) Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – as a vital part of the security response in the region.

Countries of the Sahel region had seen an escalation of attacks by armed extremist groups in recent years, frequently striking at security forces and civilians going about their daily lives.

A single attack by gunmen on January 2 left more than 100 people dead in a village in western Niger, and on April 21, President Idriss Déby of Chad was killed after sustaining injuries in clashes with rebel groups.

Regional troops deployed through the G-5 Joint Force, personnel of the UN Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and the French-led ‘Operation Barkhane’ are struggling to stem the violence.

Describing efforts to respond to the challenging environment, Mr Lacroix said the joint force also faced major challenges in its operational and logistical capacities, such as transport and providing supplies to its troops.

However, he said despite those challenges, the joint force and its partners had made some important strides against extremist groups in recent months.

“It is essential that (the joint force) receives the assistance it requires to carry out its mandated tasks,” he said, noting that the current support model presents operational challenges and leaves little room for flexibility.

Mr Lacroix added, “Faced with the situation in the Sahel, the international community must be motivated by a shared responsibility to act…in a spirit of solidarity with the populations of the region.”

(NAN)