The Activities of The United Nations Office For West Africa (UNOWA)

Security Council Meeting on the 14th Report of the Secretary-General on
the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA)
Briefing by Mr. Mohamed [bn Chambas

Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and Head
of UNOWA
New York, 8 January 2015
Mr. President,
Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1.
I am pleased to be here today to brief you, for the first time in my
capacity as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, on

the situation in the sub-region.
Mr. President,
2.
Recent developments demonstrate the fragile political situation in many
West African nations in the lead-up to presidential and legislative elections in

2015-2016. In some of those countries, tensions are linked to incumbent leaders
who face resistance in their attempts at holding on to power through
constitutional revisions.
3.
In The Gambia, on 30 December, fighting erupted at the State House in
Banjul, as a mutiny led by Lt-Col. Lamin Sanneh attempted to unseat President

Yahya Jammeh of Gambia from his 20-year rule in power. The attack was
defeated by Forces loyal to the President, who was out of the country at the
time. This coup attempt was the third over the past eight years. Meanwhile,
there are reports of arrest of family members of alleged coup plotters. I am
planning to visit Banjul on 14-15 January and meet with President Jammeh. I
will reiterate our firm condemnation of any attempt to seize power by
unconstitutional means, and encourage the Gambian authorities to work with
the support of international partners, to ensure the credibility of judicial
procedures and the respect of human rights.
4.
In Burkina Faso, a popular insurrection end-October forced President
Blaise Compaord to resign following his attempt to amend the Constitution in

order to extend his term in power, bringing his twenty-seven year rule to an
abrupt end. Backed by international partners, a joint ECOWAS-AU-UN mission
helped secure an agreement by national stakeholders on a civilian-led transition,
whose guiding principles are enshrined in the Charter of the Transition signed
on 16 November.
5.
An "international follow-up and support group for the transition in
Burkina Faso" was established to assist the transitional institutions during this
critical period which will see the organization of presidential and legislative
elections by November 2015. The group will hold its inaugural meeting on 13
January in Ouagadougou.
6.
In 2015, five other West African countries will hold presidential
elections: Benin, C6te d'Ivoire, Guinea, Nigeria and T0go. In Togo, where
President Faure Gnassingbd's party has been in power since 1967, a new
opposition coalition staged demonstrations in November and December in
Lomd. The contentious issue remains the lack of consensus on political reforms,
particularly on the introduction of presidential term limits and reform of the
single-rotmd voting system. These issues need to be given priority by the
government to ease the tensions.
7.
In neighboring Benin, a consensus needs to be found on the
implementation of the electronic voter registration lists, which is causing delays

in the organization of local elections and could affect legislative and
presidential elections scheduled for 2015 and 2016, respectively. UNOWA will
be closely engaged with the authorities in Togo and Benin in the coming weeks,
with a view to mobilize efforts and encourage them to lay the ground for
peaceful and credible elections.
8.
In Niger, frictions have continued between the government and
opposition political parties, against the background of a fragile security

situation, due mainly to violence and instability in neighboring countries,
especially Libya, Mali but also Nigeria. In C6te d'Ivoire, while political
dialogue between the government and opposition parties resumed; tensions
persist, with possible risks of electoral and/or post-electoral violence in October
2015
9.
About a month from now, Nigerians will go to the polls for the
presidential and legislative elections. The general election is taking place

against a backdrop of violent insurgency by Boko Haram in the north-east and
sectarian conflicts in the North Central and the North West as well as an
increasingly tense pre-electoral environment. The holding of polls throughout
the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa will present a formidable challenge.
The risk of pre-and post-electoral violence requires the international community
to engage further with Nigeria, to address its ongoing challenges and to support
the holding of credible and peaceful elections throughout the country.
Mr. President,
10.
The region remains vulnerable to insecurity and terrorist threats. In
northeastern Nigeria, the security situation has shown no signs of improvement

despite national and regional efforts. The civilian populations in the three
northeastern states ofAdamawa, Borno and Yobe have over the past six months
been subjected to intense attacks and systematic human rights violations,

including razing civilian
settlements, kidnappings, suicide bombing,
assassinations and other.
11. The death toll of this vicious violence, most of which has been attributed
to Boko Haram, is staggering, and counter-insurgency measures have failed to
provide adequate protection of civilians. Since the abduction of over 200
schoolgirls from Chibok (Borno State) the international community has been
supporting the Government of Nigeria's efforts to address this problem. As part
of the latest efforts, the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force will
hold the first in a series of workshops for law enforcement officials on human
rights, the rule of law and the prevention of terrorism during the third week of
January.
12. In my capacity as the Secretary-General's High Level Representative to

Nigeria, I visited the country in November and December to consult with highlevel government officials and other stakeholders with a view to building
consensus to face the threat of Boko Haram and to assess the potential of
electoral-related violence. While the Boko Haram insurgency is deeply rooted
in Nigeria, it is increasingly spilling across the borders into Cameroon, Niger
and Chad. More than 300,000 Nigerians have sought refuge in northwestern
Cameroon and southwestern Niger, adding pressure on the local economies in
those countries and destabilizing the internal security situation. UNOWA, in
collaboration with UNOCA, will continue to work closely with the countries of
the Lake Chad Basin Commission to address the regional aspects of the Boko
Haramcrisis.
Mr. President,
13. Insecurity in the northeast of Nigeria has also seriously impeded the
activities of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, in particular its critical
field assessments. In my capacity of Chairman of the Mixed Commission I have
endeavored to address the delay and adapt the scope of work to the evolving
security Situation. The demarcation continues: to complete the demarcation, 767
pillars remain to be constructed, for which funding is required.
14. Among other security challenges affecting the region, violent piracy in
the Gulf of Guinea continues to hinder West Africa's economy and trade.
Countries of the region have made some progress on the operationalization of a
maritime security infrastructure. Further efforts are necessary, including for the
resolution of maritime border disputes. UNOWA and UNOCA will continue to
provide support to ECOWAS, ECCAS, and the Gulf of Guinea Commission in
the implementation of the strategic framework adopted at the Yaoundd Summit
of 15 June 2013.
Mr. President,
15. Before I conclude, allow me to quickly touch upon the Ebola outbreak,
which has wreaked havoc in West Africa in 2014, causing at least 8,200 deaths.
In mld-November, together with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, I
visited the three most-affected countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia -
which have been politically and economically isolated. Except for Mali, all
neighboring countries have at some point closed their land borders and imposed
flight restrictions. This has also hindered the functioning of regional and subregional mechanisms.
18.
While the laudable humanitarian intervention by the international
community, including UNMEER, continue, we must ensure that the aftermath

of the outbreak does not reverse the gains made during years of peacebuilding
activities in the three fragile states.
19. I wish to thank the Council for its continued interest and support to the
consolidation of peace, security and democracy in West Africa.
I thank you for your attention.

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Security Council Meeting on the 14th Report of the Secretary-General on

Briefing by Mr. Mohamed [bn Chambas

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

I am pleased to be here today to brief you, for the first time in my

capacity as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, on

Recent developments demonstrate the fragile political situation in many

West African nations in the lead-up to presidential and legislative elections in

In The Gambia, on 30 December, fighting erupted at the State House in

Banjul, as a mutiny led by Lt-Col. Lamin Sanneh attempted to unseat President

In Burkina Faso, a popular insurrection end-October forced President

Blaise Compaord to resign following his attempt to amend the Constitution in

An "international follow-up and support group for the transition in

In 2015, five other West African countries will hold presidential

In neighboring Benin, a consensus needs to be found on the

implementation of the electronic voter registration lists, which is causing delays

In Niger, frictions have continued between the government and

opposition political parties, against the background of a fragile security

presidential and legislative elections. The general election is taking place

The region remains vulnerable to insecurity and terrorist threats. In

northeastern Nigeria, the security situation has shown no signs of improvement

been subjected to intense attacks and systematic human rights violations,

settlements, kidnappings, suicide bombing,

assassinations and other.

12. In my capacity as the Secretary-General's High Level Representative to

While the laudable humanitarian intervention by the international

community, including UNMEER, continue, we must ensure that the aftermath

I thank you for your attention.

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