From Olukayode Idowu
The Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia, with concurrent accreditation to Djibouti, and Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the African Union and UNECA, His Excellency, Victor Adeleke, on Tuesday, chaired the meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, on the Renewal of the Mandate of the G-5 Sahel Joint Force.
The meeting, which took place virtually, was the first in a series of events scheduled for the month of July.
According to a statement issued by the Nigerian Mission in Addis Ababa, Council members during the meeting expressed concern over the security and humanitarian situation in the Sahel region, particularly the continuation of terrorist attacks which continues to aggravate socio-economic challenges in the region.
While unanimously expressing readiness to extend the mandate of the G-5 Sahel Joint Force, council members strongly condemned all terrorist activities against civilians and security institutions in the region.
The Council under the Chairmanship of Nigeria is expected to consider among other things; the Status Report of the full operationalization of the African Standby Force; update on the implementation of the Stabilization Strategy for the Lake Chad Basin; Report of the AMISOM independent Assessment on the future of AMISOM; and a field Mission to Mali.
Council members also expressed readiness to work constructively with the Chair in the month of July.