The United Nations says that there are increased prospects that the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria will be peaceful and credible.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Chambas, said this in his latest briefing to the Security Council.
Chambas said: “In Nigeria, tensions are high ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections of Feb. 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections of March 2.
“However, the prospects for peaceful and credible elections have been increased following the signing of the National Peace Accord in Abuja on Dec. 11, 2018.
“Over the coming weeks, I will continue to engage actively with all stakeholders in Nigeria, including through the organisation of peace fora in the key states of Benue, Rivers, Kaduna and Kano.”
The UN envoy said since his last briefing to the Security Council, further progress had been made in democratic consolidation in West Africa and the Sahel, in spite of persisting security challenges.
“In the past six months, presidential elections were successfully organised in Mali, regional and parliamentary elections were held in Mauritania and Togo and local elections were organised in Cote d’Ivoire.
“However, despite appreciable progress in democratic consolidation in the region, there is a need for continuous efforts to address contentious issues around elections.
” This is to prevent and mitigate election-related violence, as well as to support inclusive dialogue as a key attribute of inclusive societies.
“This is even more important as over the next six months, the region will see several high-stake elections in Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania and Benin.”
He expressed regret over the rising number of attacks and the increasing sophistication in the tactics deployed by extremist groups, saying it risks undermining the collective efforts in the region.
Military solutions, while necessary, are not sufficient, Chambas said, encouraging all actors to ensure holistic responses, grounded in the respect of human rights, and the socio-economic needs of the population in the affected areas.
“Through inclusive approaches predicated on national ownership, we must continue to work hard on addressing the governance deficits, the extreme poverty and lack of development that feed and sustain armed violence and extremism,” he said.
He said Boko Haram attacks in the Lake Chad Basin over the last months had increased, especially in Borno and Yobe during the last week of December alone.
“Violent clashes between farmers and herders are also continuing, although on a lesser scale, thankfully, than in the first half of 2018,” he said.
In its efforts towards advancing the long-term stabilisation goals of the region, Chambas said UNOWAS continued to work closely with regional partners, including ECOWAS, the G-5 Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).
“Laudable progress was made in the implementation of Security Council resolution 2349 (2017) to support a regional response to the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.
“On 30 August, the LCBC Ministerial Council adopted a Regional Strategy for Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin.
“The meeting took place before the high-level conference on the Lake Chad region, which was held from September 3 to 4 in Berlin, during which partners pledged over $2 billion to help meet the needs of the more than 17 million people affected by this crisis.”
He also commended the holding of the ECCAS-ECOWAS joint Summit on July 30 in Lome as an important step towards addressing cross border threats facing West and Central Africa.
As one of the key outcomes of the summit, Heads of State and Government affirmed their readiness to enhance the inter-regional collaboration.
It is to jointly address threats to peace and security, including from violent extremism.
The UN envoy said the leaders also committed to holding regular meetings to identify measures for the prevention and peaceful management of farmer-herder conflicts.
Hello. Great job. I did not expect this on a Wednesday. This is a great story. Thanks!
I am glad to talk with you and you give me great help
That is really fascinating, You’re an excessively skilled blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to in the hunt for extra of your magnificent post. Additionally, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!
I had fun reading this post. I want to see more on this subject.. Gives Thanks for writing this nice article.. Anyway, I’m going to subscribe to your rss and I wish you write great articles again soon.
Villas for rent in Cyprus, Ayia Napa, Protaras, have just been checked by our professional team at https://www.rentvillacyprus.net/ and are expecting you and your family for an unforgettable holiday. Enjoy 360 days a year of Cyprus sunshine!!
Acoustics Cyprus, Acoustic Panels Cyprus and Acoustic Materials Cyprus are proudly offered by https://www.phiacoustics.com
I was suggested this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my difficulty. You are wonderful! Thanks!
I really like your writing style, excellent info , thanks for putting up : D.
Very Interesting Information! Thank You For Thi Information!
I don’t normally comment on blogs.. But nice post! I just bookmarked your site
I favored your idea there, I tell you blogs are so helpful sometimes like looking into people’s private life’s and work.At times this world has too much information to grasp. Every new comment wonderful in its own right.
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all folks you actually recognize what you’re speaking about! Bookmarked. Please additionally visit my site =). We can have a hyperlink trade contract among us!
I favored your idea there, I tell you blogs are so helpful sometimes like looking into people’s private life’s and work.At times this world has too much information to grasp. Every new comment wonderful in its own right.
Hi, do have a e-newsletter? In the event you don’t definately should get on that piece…this web site is pure gold!
I like your style!
Thank you for all the information was very accurate, just wondering if all this is possible.~
Thanks so much for this, keep up the good work 🙂
When we look at these issues, we know that they are the key ones for our time.
Nice post.Very useful info specifically the last part 🙂 Thank you and good luck.
I like this weblog very much so much great info .
This is definitely a wonderful webpage, thanks a lot..
247-restoration.ca 24/7 Service Across the GTA Professional assistance is just a phone call away – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a property suffers damage from fire, flood, sewage backup, or environmental contaminants such as mould or asbestos, a swift response is essential to preventing further harm and expediting the restoration process.
Great post, keep up the good work, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve added on my blog roll.
There are some serious financial ramifications here.
Public policy is key here, and our states need to develop some strategies – – soon.
Thanks for another great post. Where else may anybody get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I’m at the search for such information.
You are not right. I am assured. I can prove it. Write to me in PM, we will talk.
I loved your idea there, I tell you blogs are so exciting sometimes like looking into people’s private life’s and work. Every new remark wonderful in its own right.
Thank you for all the information was very accurate, just wondering if all this is possible.~
Are grateful for this blog post, it’s tough to find good information and facts on the internet
Spot on with this write-up, I actually assume this website needs far more consideration. I will in all probability be once more to learn rather more, thanks for that info.
I wish I could craft such articles as this. Thank you very much.
Amazing article, cheers, I will bookmark you now.
A colleague in the field told me to check out your website.
When are you going to take this to a full book?
Hello, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, awesome blog!
Enjoyed reading through this, very good material. Thanks!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup.
bonjour I love Your Blog can not say I come here often but im liking what i c so far….
Thanks so much for this, keep up the good work 🙂
These stories are so important.
Thank you pertaining to sharing the following great subject matter on your website. I ran into it on google. I am going to check to come back after you publish additional aricles.
Howdy! I simply wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great information you have here on this post. I will be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.
Hi my family member! I want to say that this article is amazing, great written and include approximately all important infos. I’d like to see more posts like this .
I Am Going To have to come back again when my course load lets up – however I am taking your Rss feed so i can go through your site offline. Thanks.
Great info! Keep post great articles.
Nice blog. Could someone with little experience do it, and add updates without messing it up? Good information on here, very informative.
I’ll check back after you publish more articles.
Thanks for sharing the information. I found the information very useful. That’s a awesome story you posted. I will come back to scan some more.
With internet full of dupe articles it is nice to find original content like yours thank you so very much.
I believe this web site has some really wonderful info for everyone : D.
Amazing content on your website.
I don’t know if it’s just me or if everybody else experiencing issues with your site. It appears as though some of the written text on your content are running off the screen. Can someone else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This could be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before. Appreciate it
How long have you been in this field? You seem to know a lot more than I do, I’d love to know your sources!
Great post. Just a heads up – I am running Ubuntu with the beta of Firefox and the navigation of your blog is kind of broken for me.