A United Nations (UN) delegation on Thursday met with Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, at Army Headquarters Abuja, pledging to enhance its “continuous partnership with the Nigerian Army in tackling security challenges in the country and the Sahel region.”
Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, who confirmed the meeting said in a statement that the UN delegation was led by the Representative of the Secretary General for Central Africa, Mahamat Khatir Annadif Saled.
During the visit, Mahamat commended the effort of the NA in stemming the security challenges and activities of insurgents in Nigeria and by extension the SAHEL regions.
The UN envoy, who was accompanied on the visit by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in West Africa and the Sahel, Mr Francois Luncemy Fall, said it is very crucial to adopt a regional approach and provide antidotes to tackle terrorism and other contemporary security challenges bedeviling West Africa and the Sahel region.
He added that most of the current security challenges confronting west African states are a spill over of the Libyan crises.
The UN Representative assured the Army of partnership in the quest to checkmate the proliferation of arms and profiling of terrorism financers.
In his remarks, General Yahaya noted that countries across the globe are currently confronted with terrorism and other security challenges peculiar to each nation, adding that the NA in conjunction with sister services and other security agencies is making steady progress in the fight against insurgency and will not relent in ensuring the menace is brought to an end in Nigeria.
He also harped on the need for partnership with the NA in the areas of terrorism victims’ support, profiling of terrorism financers, arms proliferation control and technological support.
