Moscow urges more security support for Africa
Moscow has requested increased support from the UN Security Council (UNSC) for regional efforts to combat terrorism and improve security in troubled African nations, while also expressing concern about instability in certain regions.
At a briefing on Wednesday, Russia’s deputy permanent representative at the UNSC, Anna Evstigneeva, said that countries in Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea and Central Africa, continue to face “complex” security threats.
Evstigneeva expressed Russia’s support for the activities of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), acknowledging the agency’s mediation efforts in conflict zones including Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, and Central African Republic.
According to the UN, instability in Central Africa has left some 42 million people in need of assistance, with 2.6 million internally displaced.
On Wednesday, diplomats at the UNSC reiterated the importance of supporting inclusive democratic transitions in Chad and Gabon, both of which are ruled by militaries. The officials also emphasized the need to address ongoing threats from Boko Haram insurgents and other Islamic rebel groups, with Evstigneeva calling for international funding for African states.
The Boko Haram movement, renowned for the 2014 kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria, has carried out numerous major attacks since 2009. Cross-border raids by the militant group prompted the formation nearly a decade ago of the Multinational Joint Task Force, a military coalition comprising Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Benin. However, funding problems, as well as other commitment issues, have hampered the force’s effectiveness in fighting the insurgency, which the UN estimates has killed 40,000 people in Nigeria alone.
“We [Moscow] note the effectiveness of steps by African states within the framework of the Multinational Joint Task Force. We stand for providing them with predictable funding and assistance on the part of the international community,” the Russian official told the UNSC.
Evstigneeva also reiterated Russia’s commitment to continuing defense cooperation with the government of the Central African Republic in the fight against rebel uprisings. In 2018, the two countries signed a military agreement that paved the way for Moscow to train Bangui’s armed forces. Moscow has previously supplied light arms to the African country’s security forces.
Central African Republic has endured decades of violence and instability, including six coups, since gaining independence from France in 1960. The UNSC established a peacekeeping force in 2014, and there are currently 18,000 troops deployed in the country to protect civilians from militant violence. Rebel attacks on the government, however, continue. The UN has also expelled some peacekeepers over allegations of sexual violence against civilians.
