Leonardo Santos Simao the Deteriorating condotions in the Niger Region
Depictions Media
English - August 03, 2023 01:16 - 49 minutes - 56.8 MB - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingNews Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
The Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, today (1 Aug) said “the unfolding crisis” in Niger, “if not addressed, will exacerbate the deteriorating security situation in the region.”
Briefing reporters in New York via video teleconference from Accra, Ghana, Santos Simão said, “It will also negatively impact the development and lives of the populations in a country where 4.3 million people need humanitarian assistance.”
He said, “Niger and the region do not need coups d’état.”
Santos Simão said UNOWAS is supporting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) but is not directly engaged in negotiations “so far.”
He said, “We are fully supporting the all-efforts to restore democratic order in that country.”
The decision of whether “to use force, if necessary,” he said, “is not a UN decision. It is an ECOWAS decision,” adding that “what's important is that all means to find a peaceful solution for the problem should be used.”
The UN official said, “If measures are not taken or this ratio is not reversed, it's very likely that the spread of terrorism in the region can increase.”
He noted that during last week’s ECOWAS ordinary summit in Guinea Bissau, “the decision was that was twofold,” firstly to “assist those countries in transition, namely, Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, to complete the process of transition. through elections.” Secondly, he said, “not accept coups d’état anymore.”
Secretary-General António Guterres today expressed deep concern over the reported arrest of several members of the government and urgently called for strict adherence to Niger’s international human rights obligations and the prompt restoration of constitutional order.
The Secretary-General underscored the utmost importance of safeguarding civilians and ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need in Niger.
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