UN Security Council Adopts First Resolution Addressing Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin Region (March 31, 2017) [1]
On March 31, 2017, the Security Council adopted a resolution [3] that strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and other rights violations taking place in the Lake Chad Basin Region in Africa, passing its first resolution addressing Boko Haram’s presence in the area. The Council expressed its “full support for the conflict-affected populations of the Region including displaced and host communities who are suffering from the ongoing security crisis, humanitarian emergency, and development deficits resulting from the violence by terrorist groups.” The Council encouraged governments in the region to increase military cooperation and coordination and highlighted “the importance of strengthening cross-border judicial cooperation in identifying and prosecuting perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses.” The Council also noted its “concern about the protection needs of civilians in the Region affected by the scourge of terrorism, including those resulting from sexual exploitation and abuse, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture, and recruitment and use of children in violation of international law” while reiterating “the primary responsibility of Member States to protect civilian populations on their territories.”