https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/unified-action-needed-central-africa-to-defuse-regional-tensions-security-council-told

During the Security Council meeting,  Mr. François Louncény Fall, President of UNOCA, stated that Central Africa still confronts difficulties, especially as many countries in the region were in the middle of an electoral cycle when the report was conducted. In this regard, government reshuffle and constitutional changes took place in Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, and Burundi.

Political trends and security developments were also addressed. Cameroon continues to suffer from violent attacks on civilians and  the military carried out by Boko Haram. Particularly, the terrorist group’s increasing use of women and girls as suicide bombers.  Mr. Jonathan Allen representing the UK called for all parties to address the violence and pursue constructive dialogue. Ms. Elaine Marie French from the US shared the concern and stated that there is little possibility of a peaceful election if the situation in Cameroon is not properly addressed. Apart from Boko Haram, Mr. François Louncény Fall highlighted another security threat in the region, namely the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which is active in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Overall, all countries stressed their concerns on the deteriorating situation in Central Africa. At the institutional level, Mr. François Louncény Fall applauded UNOCA and ECCAS in prevention of conflicts. Many countries, including the UK and Sweden, concurred with it and encouraged more regional cooperation.

Meeting: Security Council – Meeting 8284

Date/Location: Wednesday 13th June 2018; 10:00 to 13:00; Security Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speakers:

Mr. François Louncény Fall, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA);

Mr. Ahmad Allam-Mi, Secretary General of Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS);

Mr. Jonathan Allen, Deputy Permanent Representative of UK to the United Nations;

H.E. Mr. Anatolio Ndong Mba, Permanent Representative of Equatorial Guinea to the UN;

Ms. Elaine Marie French, Representative of US;

H.E. Mr. Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Permanent Representative of Peru to the UN;

H.E. Mr. Bernard Tanoh-Boutchoué, Permanent Representative of Côte d’Ivoire to the UN;

H.E. Mr. Kairat Umarov, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN;

H.E. Mr. Sacha Sergio Llorenty Soliz, Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the UN;

H.E. Mr. Tekeda Alemu, Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN;

H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN.

Written by WIT Representative Vivian Wang