UN Security Council welcomes political dev't in West Africa

The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Saturday commended the positive political development in some West African countries following elections conducted in 2015.

The Security Council in particular commended the conduct of free and peaceful elections in Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.

The commendation was contained in a statement issued by the council in New York.

The body emphasized the importance of the upcoming elections in Niger, Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana and Gambia to be free, fair, peaceful, inclusive and credible.

The council said it would follow preparations and conduct of elections by the affected countries with great attention.

However, the body expressed concerns that the political tension may continue to erode governance in Guinea-Bissau and jeopardise the consolidation of the gains achieved in the country since the elections of 2014.

“We called upon national leaders of Guinea-Bissau to work at sustaining stability through substantive political dialogue in order to prevent escalation of tensions or relapse into conflict.”

It noted the collaboration between UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) and the Peace Building Commission (PBC).

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday commended the positive political development in some West African… https://t.co/UG10WR2Kv2

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The council urged the African countries to continue close and effective cooperation to maximize impacts of sustainable peace in the region.

It strongly condemned the recurrent terrorist attacks carried out in the region, in particular in Mali and the Sahel, as well as in the Lake Chad Basin region, notably by Boko Haram.

The members of the council stressed the need to combat all forms of terrorism.