2nd LD Writethru: UN Security Council slams terrorist attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria, Chad

The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms" the recent terrorist attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria and Chad, calling upon Central and West African countries to " adopt a common strategy and develop active cooperation" in fighting terrorism.

"The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram" in northeast Nigeria and Chad including the deadly attacks in Kwajafa in Borno state, Nigeria, on April 5 and in Tchoukou Telia, Chad, on April 3, said a statement issued to the press here by the 15- nation council.

"The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee law," said the statement.

Islamist Boko Haram militants disguised as preachers killed at least 24 people and wounded several others in an attack near a mosque in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, reports said on Monday.

The attackers arrived in cars late on Sunday and gathered people at a mosque in the remote village of Kwajafa, pretending to preach Islam. They then opened fire on them, the reports said.

Fighters from Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency fleeing an offensive by soldiers from Chad and Niger launched a rare attack on Chadian soil, killing seven people, reports said on Friday.

In mid-February, Boko Haram militants carried out an attack on Chad, the first such assault in the Chadian territory.

A military offensive by Nigeria and neighboring countries has succeeded in driving Boko Haram, which has killed thousands in its push to create an Islamic caliphate, from most of the positions it held in northeastern Nigeria.

"Ahead of the planned Summit between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the members of the Security Council urged the two sub-regional organizations, and their members, to adopt a common strategy and develop active cooperation and coordination to more effectively and urgently combat the threat posed by Boko Haram," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the council members also "stressed the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to successfully combat Boko Haram and the threat it poses to the region," said the statement.

"In this respect, the members of the Security Council welcomed the convening of a Joint ECOWAS-ECCAS experts meeting in Douala, Cameroon on 2 April 2015 as a step towards achieving this goal of enhanced cooperation," the statement said.

The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the victims and their sympathy to all those injured, as well as to the peoples and the governments of Chad and Nigeria, it added.

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the actions of Boko Haram constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whosoever committed," the statement said.

The council members "reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts," the statement added. Endite