Security Council Told Political Upheaval, Violent Extremism Continue to Challenge West Africa, Sahel Region

(Note: Owing to the financial liquidity crisis affecting the Organization and the ensuing constraints, complete coverage of today's Security Council meeting will be available on Friday, 19 December.)

Recent political upheavals in Benin and Guinea-Bissau expose ongoing vulnerability in a region already plagued by violent extremism, a senior United Nations official warned the Security Council today, as she urged increased collaboration with and between regional organizations to address these challenges.

Highlighting key developments that "illustrate both the region's fragility and its resilience" was Barrie Freeman, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel. On 7 December, Benin's national security forces, with support from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and partners, thwarted an attempted coup d'état by military officers citing grievances over deteriorating security, management of the Armed Forces and restrictions on political activity. On 26 November, in Guinea-Bissau, the military took control of the country, disrupting presidential election results. "Since then, arrests, divisive rhetoric and online hate speech are a growing cause of concern," she stated.

Meanwhile, in Côte d'Ivoire, she pointed to concerns raised over the exclusion of major opposition figures from the October presidential elections. In response, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) worked with ECOWAS and the African Union to deliver unified messages encouraging dialogue and the conduct of peaceful elections. "Experience across the region shows that governance reforms perceived as exclusionary erode legitimacy and fuel popular discontent," she observed. In that context, she cited a 14 December ECOWAS summit during which leaders both agreed on a short, inclusive transition in Guinea-Bissau and warned that targeted sanctions would apply to any actor obstructing this process.

Turning to security, she underscored that the Sahel "remains the global epicentre of violent extremism". In Mali, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin is disrupting trade corridors, cutting off Bamako's supply of fuel and other essential goods. The humanitarian consequences remain dire, with more than 3,300 refugees fleeing clashes between the group and the Malian Armed Forces to seek refuge in Mauritania, where reception capacity is severely strained. Meanwhile, in the Lake Chad Basin, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have intensified their attacks, while the Lakurawa group in north-western Nigeria further tests the Nigerian Armed Forces' capacity to secure the territory.

With the link between terrorism and organized crime accelerating, she cited emerging new initiatives to address shared threats. Angola, Chair of the African Union, has urged the region to pursue constructive engagement, while ECOWAS leaders have visited members of the Alliance of Sahel States - Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - and convened consultations. While the "rapprochement between Sahelian and ECOWAS States remains fragile", she urged the Council to consider predictable financing for the Sahel as "persistent poverty, high debt burdens and joblessness expose structural economic weaknesses that must be addressed".

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