Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council
meeting on the Sahel.
"Thank you, President, and I thank ASG Pobee, Executive Secretary
Tiare and Ms Diouf for their briefings.
President, the Sahel is in crisis: escalating violence at the
hands of extremist groups; democratic governance and human rights
under threat; and vast humanitarian needs and food insecurity,
all exacerbated by climate change and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
These challenges need to be tackled by the countries of the
Sahel, supported by international partners, through a determined
show of political will, commitment to human rights and regional
cooperation. The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting
the Sahel and its people. We contributed around $284 million to
the region last year.
President, I want to set out three priorities for the coming
period.
First, with three regional states in the midst of political
transitions, the continued leadership of ECOWAS and the African
Union is vital. We urge the Burkinabe, Chadian and Malian
authorities to adhere to agreed election timetables.
Second, counter-terrorism operations must respect human rights
and international humanitarian law. To do otherwise risks
aggravating grievances, undermining trust with local communities,
and driving recruitment to terrorist groups.
We welcome the G5 Sahel’s reaffirmed commitment to the Compliance
Framework under its new structures, and ongoing work with OHCHR.
We continue to urge further progress towards implementation of
human rights due diligence mitigation measures, as recommended by
MINUSMA.
At the same time, we are deeply concerned by the disturbing
findings in last week’s OHCHR report on the massacre of hundreds
of people in Moura, Mali by Malian security forces and the
Russian-backed Wagner Group. As High Commissioner for Human
Rights Volker Turk has said, such cases of summary executions,
rape and torture amount to war crimes. We fully support MINUSMA’s
role in investigating and reporting on human rights violations
and abuses, and we urge the Malian authorities to strengthen
their cooperation with the UN and to respect MINUSMA’s freedom of
movement.
New reports of around 150 civilian fatalities, including 45
children, following an attack by armed forces in the village of
Karma, Burkina Faso on 20 April are also deeply disturbing. We
urge all states in the region to fully respect their obligations
under international law.
Third, we agree with the Secretary-General’s message in his
report that regionally-led solutions are the most effective way
to create lasting peace and stability. The Accra Initiative is a
promising example, and we look forward to supporting its members’
efforts. We hope the forthcoming report of the High-Level Panel
on Security and Development will bring greater coherence between
different initiatives in the Sahel.
Thank you."
