UN chief asks for support for African peacekeeping

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked for support for peacekeeping in Africa, saying conflicts in Africa threaten global security.

"In our interconnected age, security challenges on one continent present a risk to the whole world. The factors that drive conflict in Africa, including poverty, youth unemployment, climate change, competition for resources, and transnational crime, threaten global security," he told the Security Council.

"Improving the impact and effectiveness of peacekeeping in Africa is a collective responsibility."

He said the world needs to understand that UN peacekeeping has limits. "We face more and more situations where we need peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations that can only be carried out by our partners -- namely, the African Union (AU) and various sub-regional organizations."

Therefore, it is essential that African-led peace operations acting under the Security Council's authority are provided with strong mandates and predictable, sustainable and flexible finance, including through UN-assessed contributions where appropriate, he said.

He specifically called for support for the Group of Five Sahel force in combatting terrorism and organized crime.

The joint military force of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania has reached initial operational capacity. But shortfall in funding constrains its capability to meet the serious security challenges in the region, he said.

So far almost half the pledges have not been earmarked, let alone disbursed, he noted.

Overall, peacekeeping in Africa continues to present some of the greatest challenges for the United Nations, said Guterres.

UN peacekeeping missions are carrying out complex operations with multidimensional mandates in extremely dangerous environments. Transnational crime, non-state armed groups and terrorist groups pose serious challenges, sometimes targeting the peacekeepers directly, he said.

"Against this backdrop, our partnership with the African Union and African member states is vital to our collective efforts for peace, and we must continue working to strengthen it."

There is excellent cooperation at the highest levels between the United Nations and the African Union, he noted.

He and AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki will soon sign a joint communique guiding the work of the UN Secretariat and the AU Commission in strengthening UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, paving the way for more adequately supported African peace operations, said Guterres.

"We are working closely with the AU on joint planning for the mandating of their peace support operations, and on legal and human rights compliance frameworks," he said.

African peace operations, including those mandated by the African Union, have played a key role in maintaining peace and security on the continent. They deserve predictable systems of support, he said.