Credit:   UN Photo / Evan Schneider /  Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, briefs the Security Council meeting on peace consolidation in West Africa at UN world headquarters Jan. 8, 2020.

 By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS  –  NEW YORK –  The top UN official in West Africa and the Sahel Wednesday described a devastating, “unprecedented” surge in terrorist violence across the region. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, briefed the Security Council meeting on peace consolidation in West Africa at UN world headquarters. 

 “The region has experienced a devastating surge in terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets. The humanitarian consequences are alarming.”

Chambas told the Council in its first formal meeting of the year. In presenting his latest report, Mr. Chambas painted a picture of relentless attacks on civilian and military targets that he said, have “shaken public confidence”.

The UNOWAS chief elaborated on terrorist-attack casualties in Burkina Faso Mali and Niger, which have leapt five-fold since 2016 – with more than 4,000 deaths reported in 2019 alone as compared to some 770 three years earlier.

SEVEN CHILDREN  Among 14 Civilians Killed in Roadside Bomb in Burkina Faso 

Seven children and four women were among 14 civilians killed when a roadside bomb blew up their bus in northwestern Burkina Faso just this week,  AFP reported.

“Most significantly,” Chambas said, “the geographic focus of terrorist attacks has shifted eastwards from Mali to Burkina Faso and is increasingly threatening West African coastal States”. He also flagged that the number of deaths in Burkina Faso jumped from about 80 in 2016 to over 1,800 last year.

Terrorism, Organized Crime and Intercommunal Violence Intertwined

Terrorism, organized crime and intercommunal violence are often intertwined, especially in peripheral areas where the State’s presence is weak, Chambas noted.   “In those places, extremists provide safety and protection to populations, as well as social services in exchanged for loyalty”, he told  the UN Security Council, echoing the Secretary-General in saying that for these reasons, “counter-terrorism responses must focus on gaining the trust and support of local populations”. 

The UNOWAS chief noted that in the months ahead, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Niger would be democratically electing their leaders and maintained that “all-too-worrying” security trends must not distract from political developments.

“Unresolved grievance, incomplete national reconciliation processes and sentiments of manipulation of institutions and processes carry risks of tensions and manifestations of political violence”, he warned.

In the months ahead, Chambas stressed that UNOWAS would continue to work with partners on the national and regional levels to promote consensus and inclusiveness in the elections.