Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has urged a comprehensive and multifaceted approach, rooted in wider regional cooperation, to effectively tackle the growing security and humanitarian challenges in the Sahel region.
Speaking at the 5th Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, Gov. Zulum, whose state remains heavily affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin, stressed that a solely military response has proven inadequate.
“The crises of instability, terrorism, and displacement that plague the Sahel cannot be solved by kinetic means alone,” Gov. Zulum said.
“We must look beyond the battlefield. There is an urgent need for a multifaceted approach that combines security, development, and humanitarian assistance in a synchronised manner.”
Highlighting the transnational nature of extremist groups and criminal networks, the governor called for enhanced cooperation among all countries in the Sahel region.
He referenced the United Nations’ definition of the Sahel region, which includes 10 countries such as Mauritania, Gambia, and Guinea, emphasizing that the response must be regional rather than limited to a few states.
“In the Sahel context, you cannot address the challenges by just looking at two or three countries. You need to look deeper into the political region of the Sahel as defined by the United Nations Strategy,” he added.
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He pointed to poverty, limited access to education, and climate change-related resource scarcity as key factors driving recruitment into armed groups.
“For the last 15 years, we have had many interventions in Borno State, but humanitarian support is not a sustainable solution,” Gov. Zulum remarked.
“There is a need for longer-term sustainable solutions. We received many donors, partners, and non-governmental organisations, but most of them engaged in short-term humanitarian solutions.”
He concluded by emphasizing the vital link between peace, development, and security, stating that “if there is no development, there cannot be peace or security.”
The roundtable also featured several African leaders, including Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates, Dr. Badr Abdelatty; Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and African Integration, Abdoulaye Diop, and Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, and Burkinabes Abroad, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré.
