Leonardo Santos Simão (UNOWAS) on the situation in West Africa and the Sahel - Security Council Media Stakeout Media Stakeouts Date: 14 July 2026 Language: Floor (Original) Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/ar/asset/k1b/k1b1nesgbc?lang=floor Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations. --- Mr. Simao [0:14]: Thank you. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning. I would like to share with you a few points from my briefing to the council. A while ago. West Africa and Sahel continue to face serious security challenges. But this is not only a store of crisis. It is also a store of resilience. Across the region, we are seeing renewed dialogue, peaceful democratic elections, and a growing determination to work together on shared challenges. The terrorist threat is becoming more sophisticated and more transnational. No country can address it alone. Stronger regional cooperation, built on trust and practical cooperation, remains essential to improving security and protecting civilians. Lasting peace cannot be achieved through security measures alone. Stability depends on accountable governance, respect for human rights, economic opportunity, and ensuring that people see tangible benefits from the presence of the state. The region has demonstrated remarkable resilience, but it cannot succeed without sustaining international support. We must, therefore, invest in a humanitarian assistance, development, and regional cooperation if we were to address the root cause of instability and build the Latin peace in the region. I thank you very much. AJE · Journalist · Gabriel [1:59]: Mr.. Simau this is Gabriel from Al Jazeera English Thanks for coming out and talking to us after briefing the council I just had a follow up to some of your remarks or your report presented to the council. Your report calls Resolution 2719, something that was expected to be a major UN contribution against terrorism, but you referred to it in the past tense. It was expected to. I guess my question is just what's actually been delivered under it, in your opinion, and what's only holding it up in any way? If you could give some more light on that? Mr. Simao [2:40]: Right. The resolution was adopted in December 2023 by the council. But its implementation is facing some difficulties. The first difficulty is for member states to agree which countries should take the priority to start the whole process because it's something new. And therefore the member states have to agree which of the process to support first, to start with. The second aspect also is the role of the African Union in order to materialize, particularly how to collect, to make sure that the 25% which are to come from the African side are present so that they can match the 75% coming from the broader international community. So it's important that member states, in particular the members of the council, signed an agreement on our way forward. And we think that this can be achieved. AJE · Journalist · Gabriel [3:47]: I just ask one question On Mali specifically with with the capital's key supply routes now under partial blockade I guess you could say. Did you see that the Mali state is losing control over key corridors in the country? Mr. Simao [4:07]: What we see is that there is attacks, not only in these roads leading to Bamako, but also in other roads. What says they have resorted to is to create a mechanism of protection of convoys, because most of that are convoys which are being attacked. But also at the regional level, there is an initiative which is spearheaded by a Ghana to encourage countries, two or three countries, to come together on a common purpose. And one of these purposes can be precisely the protection of of convoys. But it's still a problem. And now they even went further other than attacking convoys attacking also power lines also which is a new development AJE · Journalist · Gabriel [5:02]: Power Mr. Simao [5:03]: Lines Yeah with the cutting air supply of electricity. Moderator [5:10]: Do you have more questions Mr. Simao [5:13]: Thank you Thank you very Much Thank you Thank Moderator [5:16]: You Thank you.