COMMUNIQUÉ

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 469th meeting held on 25 November 2014, adopted the following decision on the threat posed by the Boko Haram terrorist group and on the efforts of the countries of the region within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC):

Council:

1. Takes note of the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Niger on behalf of the country chairing the LCBC, as well as of the statements made by the representatives of the other countries of the region, namely Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Benin, on the efforts being deployed to enhance the effectiveness of the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group;

2. Recalls its earlier pronouncements on the activities of Boko Haram and the efforts to be undertaken to address the threat posed, including communiqué PSC/PR/COMM/2.(CDXXXVI) and the relevant provisions of communiqué PSC/AHG/COMM.(CDLV) adopted at its 436th and 455th meetings held on 23 May 2014 and 2 September 2014, respectively. Council also recalls the relevant provisions of Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.356(XXIII) adopted by the Assembly of the Union at its 23rd Ordinary Session, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 27 to 28 June 2014;

3. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the abhorrent terrorist attacks, including against schools and universities, markets and places of worship, carried out by Boko Haram over the past few years, killing hundreds of people, wounding many others and leading to significant displacements of populations both within the affected areas in Nigeria and in the neighboring countries. Council further reiterates AU’s outrage at the cowardly kidnapping by Boko Haram, on 14 April 2014, of over 200 young girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in the Borno State, and whose fate remains unknown to-date;

4. Renews AU’s solidarity with Nigeria and the other countries directly affected by the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group, and recommends to the 24th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa, in January 2015, to adopt a Declaration of Support to the countries of the LCBC region and Benin;

5. Stresses, once again, that the terrorist activities of Boko Haram pose a serious threat not only to Nigeria but also to the region and the continent as a whole, and as such call for collective African efforts, as part of the overall continent’s counter-terrorism agenda, as articulated in the relevant AU instruments and decisions of Council and other AU policy organs. In this respect, Council recalls that in its communiqué PSC/PR/COMM/2.(CDXXXVI), it welcomed the decision of the UN Security Council’s Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of 22 May 2014 that approved the addition of Boko Haram to its list of individuals and entities subject to the targeted financial sanctions as an effective tool towards eliminating the group and denying access to resources to carry out its criminal and terrorist activities;

6. Commends the Member States of the LCBC for their sustained efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group. In this respect, Council welcomes the Final Communiqué of the LCBC Extraordinary Summit held in Niamey, Niger, on 7 October 2014, which decided to establish a Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin to coordinate the efforts to combat the Boko Haram terrorist group, including the establishment of the MNJTF Headquarters and the deployment by the LCBC Member States and Benin of the pledged contingents within their national borders. Council further welcomes the Final Conclusions of the ministerial meeting of the Member States of the LCBC and Benin, held in Abuja, Nigeria, on 13 October 2014;

7. Expresses its full support for the establishment and deployment of the MNJTF, which represents an appropriate framework for effectively neutralizing the Boko Haram terrorist group;

8. Stresses the need to spare no efforts in ensuring the early and full operationalization of the MNJTF. In this respect, Council requests the Commission to undertake urgent consultations with the LCBC Member States and Benin and to avail the necessary expertise, in order to identify and agree on the practical steps that could facilitate the early provision of the required international support, as requested by the ministerial meeting of 13 October 2014, namely: (i) the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution authorizing the Member States of the LCBC and Benin to deploy the MNJTF for an initial period of 12 months, (ii) the establishment by the UN Secretary-General of a Trust Fund for the sustenance of the MNJTF operations, and (iii) the mobilization of the necessary international financial and logistical support. In this respect, and consistent with paragraph 19 of communiqué PSC/AHG/COMM.(CDLV), Council encourages the Commission to expedite the dispatch of a team to the region to consider ways to support the efforts being deployed by the LCBC Member States and Benin;

9. Calls upon the UN Security Council and the larger international community to enhance support to the efforts of the Member States of the LCBC and Benin, including the provision of financial and logistical support to facilitate the full operationalization of the MNJTF;

10. Requests the Commission to submit to it, within one month, a report on the follow-up steps taken in pursuance of the present communiqué, in particular paragraph 8 above, to enable it take the necessary decisions;

11. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.