Communique of the 1086th meeting of the PSC held on 31 May 2022 on the update on the situation in the Lake Chad Basin

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PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 1086™ MEETING 31 MAY 2022 ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

PSC/PR/COMM. 1086 (2022)

COMMUNIQUE

COMMUNIQUE

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1086^th meeting held on 31 May 2022 on the update on the situation in the Lake Chad Basin:

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions and pronouncements on the situation in the Lake Chad Basin region and the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of Boko Haram-Affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin, particularly Communiques [PSC/PR/COMM.2/1057 (2022)] adopted at its 1057^th meeting held on 14 January 2022, [PSC/PR/COMM.1010 (2021)] adopted at its 1010^th meeting held on 19 July 2021 and [PSC/PR/COMM .(CM LXXI11] adopted at its 973^rd meeting held on 18 January 2021;

Faithful to the provisions of Chapter VIII of the United Nations (UN) Charter on the role of regional arrangements in the maintenance of international peace and security and emphasizing the vital role ofthe Regional Economic Communitiesand Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) as primary responders to crisis and conflict situations in their respective jurisdictions, in line with the cardinal principles of subsidiarity, complementarity and comparative advantage;

Noting the opening remarks made by H.E Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Permanent Representative ofthe Republicof Cameroon to the AU and Chairperson ofthe PSC for May 2022, and the statement delivered by H.E Ambassador William Awinador-Kanyirige on behalf of H.E Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security;

Also noting the statement by the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and Head of Mission ofthe Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), as well as the statements by the Governor of Hadjer Lamis in Chad and the representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and

Reaffirming the solidarity of the AU with the governments and peoples of the countries ofthe Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), as well as the unwavering commitment of the AU to continue to support them in the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience of areas affected by Boko Haram activities in the Lake Chad Basin;

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

1. Welcomes the gains made in the security situation in the region, particularly the largely successful kinetic operations against Boko Haram that have led to the neutralization of several of the group's fighters, destruction of their camps and logistics bases, recovery/seizure of various quantities of arms and equipment, and the liberation of towns and communities; calls on the MNJTF to relentlessly pursue its efforts at degrading the capacity of Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the region, in line with its commitment to the complete eradication of the terrorist threat from the Lake Chad Basin region and the restoration of normalcy to the affected areas;

2. Notes with satisfaction the efforts deployed by the respective governments and non­governmental organizations of the region to create an enabling environment for the conduct of humanitarian activities in local communities, as well as to accommodate the increasing numbers of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) returning to their ancestral homelands within the Lake Chad Basin; encourages them to redouble their efforts in the screening, rehabilitation and reintegration of persons formerly associated with Boko Haram, as well as the prosecution of perpetrators of atrocities in the region;

3. Pays tribute to the MNJTF Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and their nationals, especially those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in the promotion of peace, security and stability in the region; and expresses its heartfelt condolences to the affected LCB countries and people for the lives lost through terrorist attacks;

4. Applauds the Governors of the worst-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin for their efforts towards the development ofthe Territorial Action Plans (TAPs); commends them for the collective efforts being deployed to address the various security threats facing the region; and encourages them to remain resolute in their efforts to further strengthen their cooperation, enhance their collective security mechanism and to expedite the implementation ofthe TAPs;

5. Underscores the imperative for concerted efforts towards addressing the structural root causes of security threats and ameliorating the social-economic conditions of the population in the areas affected by Boko Haram activities and, in this respect, welcomes ongoing efforts by the AU to support MNJTF Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) under the current European Union funding facility for the MNJTF;

6. Expresses appreciation to the bilateral and multilateral partners for their continued support to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin region and appeals to them to commit additional funding for the implementation of the RSS, especially the TAPs for the eight worst- affected areas in the region; urges bilateral and multilateral partners to ensure that future interventions in the Lake Chad Basin region are linked to the TAPs and to ensure that engagement with the LCBC attains consistency and alignment with other initiatives; and underlines the importance of seeing to it that all support provided is in line with the identified priorities, needs and objectives ofthe concerned countries and the MNJTF and respects the national and regional ownership of this endeavour;

7. Urges the LCBC to further enhance its engagement with its Member States on the Implementation of the RSS, including extending its endeavours to key ministries responsible for the development of humanitarian and peace interventions; highlights the need for greater efforts to be made to promote complementarity with relevant RECs/RMs, including strengthening institutional collaboration between the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the implementation ofthe Regional Stabilization Strategy (RSS);

8. Reiterates its call for the full operationalization of the African Standby Force (ASF) to enable its rapid deployment and timeous intervention in crises;

9. Highlights the need to provide climate change relief and humanitarian support to the affected countries in the region; in this regard, reiterates its call for the full operationalization of the African Humanitarian Agency of the AU to spearhead the Continent's humanitarian action and alleviate the suffering of Africans;

10. Commends the AU Commission for its political leadership, efforts, as well as ongoing engagements to accompany the LCBC and the affected countries in the implementation of the RSS; and requests the AU Commission to undertake the following:

1. continue, in close collaboration with the LCBC and other partners, to support the affected countries to undertake effective interventions along the lines of the nine pillars ofthe RSS;

2. support the LCBC in determining the most practical approach to establishing a joint fund that responds to the needs of beneficiary communities and designing the best mechanism for disbursing the funds on a need basis and in line with the priorities of funding partners;

3. spearhead the mobilization of the needed resources to consolidate the gains made in the LCB region and the investment of resources in the stimulation of economic activities and the promotion of development in the region, including cross-border trade and agricultural projects, as well as sharing of information and intelligence to curb the flow of illicit small arms and light weapons;

4. redouble efforts at identifying and addressing the capacity needs of local governance actors in the Lake Chad Basin and, in particular, expedite the finalization of the ongoing mapping of Governance Actors in the Lake Chad Basin by the AU RSS Team with support from the Training for Peace Programme;

5. provide more direct support, through the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) to local civil society organizations (CSOs) under the RSS Regional Civil Society Platform to urgently articulate cross-border peacebuilding initiatives in order to capitalize on gains made at the community level and improve human mobility and cross-border trade;

6. identify and initiate peace strengthening projects through its Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Centre in Cairo, Egypt to build resilience, recovery and sustainable peace in the region;

7. expedite the finalization of a policy on stabilization as an effective tool, using the LCBC model to inform the design and development of similar mechanisms for stabilization operations on the Continent;

8. initiate a draft Continental Strategy for the fight against illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons as well as other emerging weapons used by terrorists;

11. Decides to undertake a Field Mission to the LCB region in the near future, when conditions permit, to witness the progress ofthe implementation ofthe RSS and engage with all stakeholders to evaluate the support required for the region and its people;

12. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.