February 15, 2024
The representative of Sierra Leone expressed concern over the evolution of the ISIL (Da’esh) threat in conflict zones in Africa despite UN-coordinated efforts in fighting terrorism.
The unconstitutional changes of government and the breakdown in engagement between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger will complicate the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, creating a significant deficit in counter-terrorism capabilities, he cautioned.
Turning to the situation in Afghanistan, he called on the Counter-terrorism Committee and CTED to assist Kabul in employing “a whole-of-society approach to counter-terrorism” in compliance with international law.
On Syria, he voiced alarm over the slow pace of repatriation efforts from camps in the north-eastern part of the country, emphasizing that serious humanitarian conditions in the detention centres are conducive for recruitment.
“The underlying root causes of conflict fuel terrorist recruitment,” he said, calling on member States to promote education, engage in deradicalization programmes, and foster religious tolerance and social inclusion.