UNSC Meeting on G-5 Sahel Joint Force

(May 18, 2021; 1000 hrs)

Statement by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

-----

Thank you, Mr. President.

At the outset, let me begin by thanking USG Lacroix of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) for his briefing on the G-5 Sahel Force and related developments. I also thank Ambassador Mohamed Idris, Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission, and Général Oumarou Namata, Force Commander of the G5 Sahel Joint Force for their briefings. I also welcome H. E. Mr. Oumar Ibn Daoud, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Chad to the meeting.

2. At the outset, I would like to offer my tribute to the former President of Chad, Mr Idriss Déby Itno, who sacrificed his life in the fight against the rebel groups.  President Idriss Deby’s contribution to regional stability and combating terrorism was significant and will be remembered forever. We also recognize the important contribution of Chad to the G-5 Sahel initiative.

3. It is a matter of concern that the security situation in the G5-Sahel countries is deteriorating rapidly, evident from the recent attacks by terrorists and armed groups. The reporting period has witnessed several serious incidents, including in the Tahoua region of Niger on 21 March that resulted in the killing of 137 civilians. The national and regional forces, including the G-5 Sahel, have increasingly come under attack. The Liptako-Gourama tri-border area has remained a hotspot. Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin affiliated to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara have expanded their activities. It is a matter of great concern that these groups are using IEDs, resulting in the killing of several MINUSMA peacekeepers as well as civilians. The threat of spread of these groups to the Southern and Western African coasts remains high. It is also worrisome that the reporting period has seen attacks spreading to the borders of neighbouring countries.

4. Al Qaeda and ISIS linked groups and Boko Haram have also continued to expand around the eastern and northern shores of Lake Chad. More than 2 million people are internally displaced, and the situation has forced 900,000 people to take refuge in neighboring countries. The Libyan crisis that caused instability in Mali and the larger Sahel a decade ago continues to adversely impact the region. The presence of foreign fighters in Libya is also negatively affecting the region. The incidents in Chad provide clear evidence to this aspect of the problem. The overall security situation is, therefore, tenuous and extremely worrisome.

5. Clearly, the situation in the Sahel is complex and must be addressed with a comprehensive response. Achieving political stability and socio-economic development and establishing governance structures should become the top priorities for the Sahel region.  In this regard, I would like to submit the following for Council’s consideration:

i) Firstly, on the security front, we appreciate and support the efforts of the joint force of the G5 Sahel, the national forces of the G5-Sahel countries, the French Operation Barkhane and Takuba Task Force. These efforts, along with the peacekeeping efforts of MINUSMA in Mali, have contributed to combating terrorism in the Sahel. We specifically take note of the progress made by the Joint Force of the G5 Sahel in stabilizing the Sector Centre between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, thereby creating conditions for the return of the national armed forces and local authorities.

ii) Secondly, the Joint Force continues to be plagued by multiple challenges such as lack of training and equipment, transport and logistics and sustainable and predictable financing – all of which have hampered the full operationalization of the force. We appreciate the capacity building and logistics assistance being provided to the Joint Force by various countries as well as by MINUSMA.

iii) Thirdly, the current model of support to the Joint Force is inadequate and unsustainable, a reality which has been highlighted by the Secretary General in his recent reports. Assistance to the Joint Force through MINUSMA under the existing mechanism has its own limitations. Overstretching MINUSMA’s responsibilities can adversely affect its core mandate of securing peace in Mali. At a time when the terrorist threat is rapidly growing in Mali and spreading towards the Southern part of the country, it becomes all the more crucial for the Mission to focus on containing the threat in Mali. The impediments the Mission is facing in providing logistical support to the Joint Force, beyond Mali, need to be addressed.

iv) Fourthly, we believe that it is high time that regional security initiatives such as the G5 Sahel Joint Force be provided adequate and sustainable resources, training and logistics support. A resource-constrained counter-terrorism strategy can be a recipe for failure. Therefore, the proposal for establishing a UN Support Office dedicated to providing logistics assistance to the Joint Force of G5 Sahel, has our support and requires our immediate collective attention. Moreover, since these initiatives involve multiple nationalities and backgrounds, for them to be effective, mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure effective internal coordination, cohesion, training, and unified command and control structures. We need to strongly support African counter-terrorism operations through sustainable financing, including assessed contributions.

v) Fifthly, it is important that when it comes to terrorism, we need to first clearly acknowledge the nature of the problem before we can start addressing it. Otherwise, we will address it by fits and starts – a recipe for failure. This is all the more important at a time when terrorist forces are only getting stronger and spreading to more parts of Africa, as has been repeatedly acknowledged in the Council’s reports and discussions. The terrorist groups in Sahel have strong links with international terrorist organizations such as the Al Qaeda, ISIS and others with similar radical ideologies. Just as there cannot be any justification for terrorism, we cannot be half-hearted when it comes to resolute action by the Council to address counter-terrorism issues. The Council needs to take effective measures, including by supporting regional and sub-regional organizations in their security initiatives. We appreciate the decision of the AU, ECOWAS and G5 Sahel countries for deployment of 3,000 AU troops to reinforce the G-5 Sahel Force.

vi) Finally, the security measures need to be complemented by addressing issues associated with instability in the Sahel viz. lack of development, poverty, poor governance and loss of livelihoods.  We are happy to note that these issues are being addressed through initiatives like the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and the Sahel Alliance’s G5 Sahel Priority Investment Programme.  The recent appointment of the Special Coordinator for development in the Sahel to oversee the implementation of UNISS is a positive development.   

6. In conclusion, Mr. President, let me reiterate India’s support to the G-5 Sahel initiative, as also to its related regional security initiatives. India has always been willing to extend and expand its capacity building assistance to the armed forces of the affected countries, to support them in their fight against terrorism. India's recent initiatives in this regard have been the inclusion of Chad in our ITEC training program, with 10 military training slots, last year, and a specialized in-situ training program in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism for nearly 200 Nigerian Army personnel, this year. We believe that it is important that this Council continues to extend all possible assistance and support to the G-5 Sahel Force, in the overarching interest of peace, security and stability in the region.

I thank you, Mr. President.