{"id":27735,"date":"2024-07-13T16:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=27735"},"modified":"2024-07-13T16:00:42","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T13:00:42","slug":"democratic-rule-needed-to-boost-weakened-security-in-west-africa-and-the-sahel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/13\/democratic-rule-needed-to-boost-weakened-security-in-west-africa-and-the-sahel\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic Rule Needed to Boost Weakened Security in West Africa and the Sahel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>UN<\/strong><br \/>\nDemocratic and responsible governance is needed to counter ongoing insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel. So, national dialogues are underway in many countries to consolidate democratic governance at the same time that across large parts of the Sahel, as men and women are leaving their land, fleeing to safety, and to ensure that their children can receive an education,\u201d he said.<br \/>\nMali, Burkina Faso and Niger\u2019s decision to pull out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) \u201ceven as terrorism and transnational organized crime remain a pervasive threat\u201d, will be damaging to regional relations all round, said the UN\u2019s top official in the region.<br \/>\nLeonardo Santos Sim\u00e3o, who heads the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), told the Security Council that by \u201crenouncing ECOWAS\u201d, the three military-led governments would be \u201crelinquishing key benefits\u201d including regional integration, freedom of movement, security cooperation and an integrated regional economy, hurting both themselves and remaining ECOWAS members.<br \/>\nThe three transitional governments severed ties with ECOWAS after senior officers staged military takeovers in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.<br \/>\nMilitary leaders have consequently \u201cpostponed the return to constitutional rule and sparked fear of prolonged uncertainty\u201d, as civic space \u201ccontinues to shrink\u201d said the UN Special Representative.<br \/>\nThe transitional regimes have added to instability in the already precarious and vast Sahel region, marked by increasing insecurity, worsening humanitarian crises, and slow economic growth exasperated by political vulnerability, he said.<br \/>\nApproximately seven million people are displaced within the countries of West Africa or have fled across borders, and these numbers are only continuing to rise.<br \/>\nCitizens are also dealing with a widespread lack of electricity, closure of health centres, and a shutdown of over 8,000 schools, depriving hundreds of thousands of children access to education and undermining the foundation of regional development.<br \/>\nMr. Sim\u00e3o remarked in his address that it remains \u201cvery concerning\u201d that the humanitarian response plan launched by the UN is funded at only about 15 per cent.<br \/>\nOn a more optimistic note amid profound challenges, Mr. Sim\u00e3o emphasized the remarkable strides towards robust democratic frameworks made by some West African States.<br \/>\nHe praised Mauritania, Senegal, Ghana, and Liberia for their recent successful presidential elections, specifically applauding the women who stood as presidential candidates in Senegal amid the otherwise low representation of female leadership in West Africa.<br \/>\nMr. Sim\u00e3o also highlighted the persistence of justice and accountability at the heart of many regional conflicts. The ongoing trial in Guinea on the brutal military repression 15 years ago, for example, \u201cexposes the deep societal rifts and the desire for justice and reconciliation.\u201d<br \/>\nMeanwhile, in Liberia, the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court more than 20 years after the end of the civil war there, acts as \u201ca vehicle for national healing and reweaving the fabric of society.\u201d<br \/>\nThe decision by Cameroon and Nigeria last month to pursue a plan to settle border disputes within the framework of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, chaired by Mr. Sim\u00e3o himself, instead of referring back to the International Court of Justice, was also commended.<br \/>\nUltimately, against a backdrop of instability, the Special Representative affirmed that UNOWAS will \u201cstay the course.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI shall continue advocating for democratic principles and practices, building consensus, promoting good governance, and insisting on the observance of human rights and humanitarian principles,\u201d he said.<br \/>\nMoreover, he committed UNOWAS to continue resilience-building against increasingly volatile climate conditions which damage food security and inter-communal conflicts, as well as to harnessing the power of women in public life and youth empowerment.<br \/>\n\u201cI can assure you that the United Nations continues to be looked up as a vital rescuer in these challenging times, as the peoples in the region expect us to embody the values of humanity, neutrality and impartiality\u201d Mr. Sim\u00e3o concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>UN Democratic and responsible governance is needed to counter ongoing insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel. So, national dialogues are underway in many countries to consolidate democratic governance at the same time that across large parts of the Sahel, as men and women are leaving their land, fleeing to safety, and to ensure that &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27735"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27737,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27735\/revisions\/27737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}