In order to reaffirm the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s continued support for counter-terrorism efforts of States of the Sahel region and to promote regional cooperation, the Chair of the Committee, H.E. Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaité, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the United Nations, and the Executive Director of its Executive Directorate (CTED), Jean-Paul Laborde, led a high-level political mission to Mali and Niger 2-6 February 2015.
During the mission, which was conducted in partnership with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sahel and the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union for Counter-Terrorism Cooperation, the delegation was briefed on the current terrorism threat and recent terrorism trends in the region, and raised awareness of the role of the Committee and CTED to identify shortcomings in counter-terrorism legal, institutional, and operational frameworks, recommend solutions, gather good practices, and facilitate the provision of technical assistance.
As the visit was taking place, Boko Haram launched,for the first time,coordinated attacks against military forces in the south of Niger, ahead of the Government’s planned deployment as part of a multinational force to fight the terrorist organisation.
The delegation held meetings with the President of Niger; the Prime Ministers and Ministers of the Interior, Justice, and Defence of Mali and Niger; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali; the Minister of Religious Affairs of Mali; as well as representatives of specialised counter-terrorism units, intelligence agencies, and Prosecutor’s Offices of the two countries. The delegation also met with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Mali; senior officials of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA); the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Niger; representatives of United Nations agencies operating in Niger; and a number of European Union entities, including EUCAP Sahel, and the Sahel College of Security, which promotes regional cooperation in combating terrorism and organised crime.