The Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mahamat Saleh ANNADIF, will accompany the  United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who will begin today a Ramadan solidarity visit to Senegal, Niger and Nigeria. During his visit, the Secretary-General will also highlight the impact of the Ukraine war on the African continent.

Mr. Guterres will meet and share an Iftar dinner with President Macky Sall of Senegal, who assumed the Presidency of the African Union earlier this year. He will also take part in Eid Al Fitr celebrations with President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger and he is scheduled to meet President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.

In the three countries, the Secretary-General will have meetings with senior government officials as well as civil society representatives, including women, youth groups and religious leaders. He will meet families deeply affected by violence and instability in the Sahel, including people internally displaced and refugees. Mr. Guterres will also see first-hand the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and will assess progress and challenges to the COVID-19 recovery.

The Secretary-General began annual Ramadan solidarity visits when he was High Commissioner for Refugees, but the tradition was interrupted by the pandemic. This year, he will also use the visit to express his solidarity with victims of terrorism in the region.