UK Foreign Secretary welcomes constructive regional summit on Boko Haram
LONDON, United-Kingdom, May 18, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Foreign Secretary welcomes concrete agreements at Paris Summit on tackling Boko Haram and offers UK follow-up meeting.
The Foreign Secretary William Hague attended today the Paris Summit for Security in Nigeria. The summit, convened by President Hollande in response to the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls and the deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria, agreed a number of concrete measures strengthening regional counter terrorism coordination, reinforcing efforts at international level to implement sanctions against Boko Haram and mobilising support for women exposed to sexual violence in conflict.
Attending the summit with Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, Niger, the US, France, and the European Union, the Foreign Secretary said:
“The measures agreed today are an important step in bringing the region together in the fight against Boko Haram, and the UK will play our full part in supporting them. We agreed on the immediate priority of helping the abducted schoolgirls and tackling the threat from Boko Haram, and measures such as a regional intelligence fusion cell and coordinated border patrols; as well as on longer-term action, such as work towards a regional counter-terrorism strategy. We also agreed to enhance our support for the victims of sexual violence in conflict, an issue on which I will host a Global Summit in London in June bringing together the international community to help end the culture of impunity for those who commit these crimes.
“Today's summit sent a powerful signal: the region is united against Boko Haram and against terrorism in all its forms. The UK, alongside France, the US, the EU and our other international partners, stands firmly behind Nigeria and its neighbours and will help turn today's commitments into action. As part of that, the UK will host a follow-up meeting next month to review progress against our collective goals.”