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UN welcomes joint force with African Union against Boko Haram

Saturday, 31 January 2015 1:01 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 31 January 2015 1:17 PM ]

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses the 24th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 30, 2015.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has thrown his weight behind a proposal tabled by the African Union to establish a regional 7,500-strong force to fight the Nigeria-based Boko Haram Takfiri militant group.

“I welcome the decision of the AU and regional countries to establish an MJTF (Multinational Joint Task Force) against Boko Haram,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the 24th Summit of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Saturday.

“They have committed unspeakable brutality. Those terrorists should be addressed with a regional and international cooperation. Not a single country, even the regional countries, can handle this alone. The United Nations is ready to fully cooperate with the African Union,” Ban stated.

“Military means may not be the only solution. There should be very careful analysis of the root causes why this kind of terrorism, and extremism; violent extremism; is spreading,” the UN chief added.

Late last year, the four directly affected countries of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria agreed along with Benin to set up a joint force against Boko Haram.

The initiative was supported by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union on Friday, and the regional body is now seeking the UN Security Council’s carte blanche together with a “Trust Fund” to secure payment for it.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” controls large parts of northeastern Nigeria.

The Takfiri militants have reportedly killed at least 13,000 people and displaced more than a million since 2009.

MP/HSN/SS

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