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Security Council voices concern over Boko Haram impact on humanitarian situation in Central Africa

Xinhua, June 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN Security Council on Thursday expressed its concern over the humanitarian impact on West and Central Africa caused by activities of Boko Haram, a radical group based in northwestern Nigeria.

In a presidential statement released by the council, the UN Security Council said that 96,000 persons have been internally displaced within Cameroon, and in Chad, there are almost 20,000 Nigerian refugees, 8,500 returnees and 14,500 internally displaced persons due to the activities of Boko Haram.

The 15-member body urged states in the region to further enhance regional military cooperation to more effectively combat Boko Haram, and it also stressed the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to tackle the issue.

Briefing the council on situation in Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, the special representative of the secretary-general for Central Africa said the deployment of Chadian troops to the border areas of Cameroon and Nigeria and the recent inauguration of the multinational joint task force on Boko Haram signaled increasing cooperation between states in fighting against the terrorist group.

"Military operations have put Boko Haram on the defensive, but recent attacks by the terrorist group highlight the need for the affected states to remain vigilant and engaged," he noted.

"While the fight against Boko Haram is not over, we must start looking ahead to the stabilization phase in order to secure military gains," he added.

On Monday, 19 people were killed when Boko Haram militants stormed a village in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno where the militants shot sporadically at residents.

Nigeria's northeastern Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states have been most-hit by the insurgency of Boko Haram which started its mindless killings in 2009. More than 13,000 people, including women and children, have been killed as the group seeks to enshrine the Islamic Sharia law in the Africa's most populous country. Endite