Dakar - Libreville, 29 October 2021 - Mr. Mahamat Saleh ANNADIF, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and Mr. François Louncény FALL, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Head of the United Nations Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), undertook, from 28 to 30 October 2021, a joint visit to Nigeria.

This mission is the third leg on a tour of the lake Chad Basin countries affected by Boko Haram and comes after the joint visits to Cameroon and Chad that took place last week, from 18 to 22 October 2021.

Special Representatives ANNADIF and FALL met with members of the government, local and military authorities, members of the diplomatic corps, the United Nations country team, as well as humanitarian and development partners.

Mr. ANNADIF and Mr. FALL underscored Nigeria's leadership in the Lake Chad Basin and West Africa. They stressed the importance of a holistic response to the security and humanitarian challenges affecting the Lake Chad Basin region. To this end, they encourage an enhancing collaboration at the national and regional levels and the adoption of a regional approach to address the insurgency of Boko Haram and other extremist groups.

They also went to Maiduguri where they met and discussed with populations displaced by the violence in northeast Nigeria. The two Special Representatives also met with local authorities, civil society as well as traditional and religious authorities.

The Heads of UNOWAS and UNOCA reiterated the commitment of the United Nations and the international community to support Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad Basin in their stabilization efforts.

This high-level visit is carried out under the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2349 (2017) on the Lake Chad Basin crisis. It aims at encouraging the four countries affected by the resurgence of Boko Haram, and other extremist groups, to pool their efforts to confront terrorism.

In the coming days, Mr. ANNADIF and Mr. FALL will also visit Niger.