Africa Focus: AU urges renewed action to combat Boko Haram

The African Union (AU) on Wednesday stressed the need for renewed action to more effectively combat the Boko Haram terrorist group, said the pan-African bloc in a statement on Wednesday.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission, continues to closely follow the situation in the countries affected by the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group, said the statement.

"She reiterates AU's strong condemnation of the cowardly and dastardly attacks carried out by Boko Haram, as well as Africa's solidarity with the affected populations and countries," said the statement.

The Chairperson welcomed the decision of President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad, at the request of Cameroon, to deploy troops in that country, to contribute to the ongoing operations against the Boko Haram terrorist group.

She paid tribute to the Chadian leaders for this remarkable gesture of solidarity and for their continued commitment to the promotion of peace, security and stability in the region and on the continent as a whole, as demonstrated, among others, by the role played by Chadian troops in the liberation of northern Mali from the terrorist and criminal groups.

The Chairperson further welcomed the convening on Tuesday in Niamey, Niger, of a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and those of Defense of the member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and Benin, which was attended by AU, represented by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Smail Chergui, as well as by relevant bilateral and multilateral partners.

She noted with appreciation the conclusions adopted on that occasion, which outline a number of practical steps aimed at fully operationalizing the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) established within the framework of the LCBC.

The Chairperson of the Commission also stressed that, as part of AU's support to the countries of the region and within the framework of the communiqué adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) on 25 Nov. 2014, the Commission is taking necessary steps to assist, in cooperation with the relevant international partners, in the early finalization of the concept of operations for the MNJTF and other related documents, on the basis of the work already done by the LCBC member countries.

In so doing, the objective is to facilitate the mobilization of necessary international support, including the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution authorizing the MNJTF and the establishment of a trust fund, as requested by the LCBC ministerial meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria, in October 2014, said the statement.

In addition, Dlamini-Zuma intended to seize the opportunity of the PSC meeting scheduled to take place at the level of the Heads of State and Government at the end of January 2015, in Addis Ababa, on the margins of the forthcoming AU Summit, to urge for enhanced international support to the efforts of the LCBC member countries and Benin.

The Chairperson underlined, once again, that Boko Haram is a threat not only to Nigeria and the region, but also to the continent as a whole and, as such, the situation calls for renewed collective African efforts.

She appealed to all the AU member states to extend full support to the efforts of the LCBC member countries and Benin, in keeping with the principles of African solidarity and indivisibility of peace and security on the continent, as provided for in the relevant AU instruments, including the Common African Defense and Security Policy. Endi