WITH WEST AFRICA AT 'CROSSROADS, ' UN ENVOY URGES COORDINATED EFFORTS TO TACKLE INSTABILITY

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 10 Jul 2013 14:00:01 -0400
Subject: WITH WEST AFRICA AT 'CROSSROADS, ' UN ENVOY URGES COORDINATED
EFFORTS TO TACKLE INSTABILITY
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

WITH WEST AFRICA AT 'CROSSROADS,' UN ENVOY URGES COORDINATED EFFORTS
TO TACKLE INSTABILITY
New York, Jul 10 2013 2:00PM
Coordinated efforts and enhanced regional and international
cooperation are key to address the myriad sources of instability in
West Africa, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council today.

"The West African sub-region continues to face multiple political and
security challenges mainly linked to transnational organized crime,
piracy and terrorist activities as well as election-related tensions
in some countries," said the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for West Africa, Said Djinnit, adding that
commitment from Governments, regional organizations and the
international community as a whole is needed to tackle these
challenges.

In his briefing to the Council, Mr. Djinnit pointed to three main
zones where there is instability: the Sahel region, the Gulf of Guinea
and the Mano River.

In the Sahel, Mr. Djinnit said the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA)
has been working closely with the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS), the UN Office in Mali and the now defunct African-led
International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), to promote political
dialogue to resolve the conflict in the northern part of the country,
where a rebellion of ethnic Tuareg groups in early 2012 displaced
hundreds of thousands of people and prompted the Government to request
assistance from France to halt the southward march of extremists.

Mr. Djinnit underlined that in addition to the crisis in Mali, the
Sahel is suffering from serious environmental degradation,
desertification, food insecurity and drug trafficking and terrorism.

"This vulnerability of the Sahel underscores the need for a UN
integrated strategy for the Sahel which shall complement efforts by
countries of the region and regional organization to address the root
causes of instability in the Sahel-Sahara belt, and its consequences,"
he said.

Turning to the Gulf of Guinea, Mr. Djinnit said piracy continues to be
a threat, negatively affecting international maritime trade routes and
taking a toll on economic progress in both coastal and landlocked
countries.

However, he said he was encouraged by the resolve of West African
leaders during the Summit of the Gulf of Guinea Heads of State and
Government on maritime safety and security held last month in
Cameroon, to establish an effective framework to combat piracy and
armed robbery at sea.

Mr. Djinnit noted that election-related tensions also continue to
affect the region, and said UNOWA remains committed to promote common
grounds and understandings through its good offices, as in the case of
Guinea in the Manor River region, where earlier this month the
Government and opposition parties -- with the support of the UN --
agreed to hold legislative elections in late September.

The agreement "has paved the way for the holding of free and
transparent and inclusive legislative elections that will allow, at
last, all the energies of the Government and the people of that
country to be geared towards socio-economic transformation and
development," Mr. Djinnit said.

"While the situation in West Africa remains at a crossroads, I am
committed to building on the excellent cooperation and partnership
forged with the UN entities in West Africa, the ECOWAS, other regional
organizations including the African Union and the Mano River Union as
well as other stakeholders," he added.

Jul 10 2013 2:00PM
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