August 8, 2024
Mr. President,
I would like to thank Deputy Secretary General Vladimir Voronkov and Director General Natalia Gherman for their briefings.
Terrorism remains one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. This threat continues to evolve, taking advantage of the vulnerabilities created by conflict, political and humanitarian crises, and climate change.
The terrorist threat remains alarming in West Africa and the Sahel. Al Qaeda remains particularly established there, through its Sahelian affiliate “JNIM”, as does Daech, which is stepping up its operations and continuing to expand its networks. The activities of these groups jeopardize the safety of civilian populations, aggravate the instability of the region and compromise its development prospects.
Let’s not forget other regions of the world, where the terrorist threat remains high, particularly in Central Asia, where the growth of the Islamic State in Khorasan represents a major security threat.
Terrorist groups such as Daech also continue to use the Internet and social networks to increase the resonance of their attacks, to spread propaganda based on disinformation, and to attract new recruits.
Mr. President,
Only global, coordinated action by the international community can provide an effective, sustainable response to the scourge of terrorism.
The use of force may be necessary to counter terrorist groups. France, whose military have fought to roll back terrorism, commends the action of African soldiers engaged on the continent in regional counter-terrorism initiatives. France and the European Union continue to support these efforts, in particular by providing support to the Mixed Multinational Force (MMF), created by the states of the Lake Chad Basin to combat the expansion of Boko Haram, and now that of Daech. But military solutions alone are not enough.
Our efforts to combat terrorism must take a holistic approach, addressing all the causes of the threat. At the heart of this approach must be the preservation of fundamental rights and freedoms, the strengthening of governance structures and the rule of law, the resilience of the most vulnerable communities, and the fight against disinformation and the dissemination of extremist content.
We need to develop partnerships based on dialogue to meet the needs expressed by States and populations affected by terrorism. To this end, Côte d’Ivoire and France have set up an International Academy for the Fight Against Terrorism (AILCT), aimed at strengthening the capabilities of countries in the region, not only in the operational field, but also in threat analysis and judicial treatment.
The so-called security solutions proposed by certain private military companies run counter to this integrated approach, respectful of partners and populations. Their practices aggravate instability and fuel terrorism through their human rights violations.
I can’t take this opportunity to respond to all of Russia’s unfounded accusations, but I will simply point out that the solutions proposed by the Russian Federation are not likely to improve the protection of civilian populations in the Sahel. As for his accusations about Ukraine, they fall completely outside the theme proposed by the Presidency today. We have already had many opportunities, and will have others, to refute the remarks made by my Russian colleague during meetings on the illegal aggression of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
Finally, France reiterates its support to the United Nations, which makes an essential contribution to the fight against terrorism. We intend to continue supporting the training and capacity-building actions carried out by the UNOCT, in conjunction with regional organizations, for the benefit of West African countries.
France reiterates its commitment to the resolutions adopted by the Security Council to combat terrorism in all its aspects, including by drying up its sources of financing. We welcome the recent adoption of Resolution 2734, which renewed the mandate of the 1267 regime monitoring team, and which now makes it possible to take account of sexual and gender-based violence in requests for inclusion on the sanctions list.
Thank you.