Communiqué of the 1254th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council, held on 13 January 2025 on the Consideration Report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on the Activities of the MNJTF against Boko Haram Terrorist Group and Renewal of its Mandate

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 1254th meeting held on 13 January 2025, on the Consideration of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Activities of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against the Boko Haram terrorist group and Renewal of its Mandate.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its previous decisions on the activities of the MNJTF and the situation in the Lake Chad Basin, in particular Communiqué [PSC/PR/COMM.1197 (2024)] adopted at its 1197th meeting held on 30 January 2024 and at which the Council renewed the mandate of the MNJTF for a period of 12 months;

Noting the opening remarks made by H.E. Ennio Maes, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire to the AU, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the PSC for the month of January 2025, and the Introductory Statement by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; also noting the briefings by H.E. Amb. Mamman Nuhu, the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Head of MNJTF Mission, and by Major General Ibrahim Sallau Ali, the MNJTF Force Commander;

Reaffirming the AU’s unwavering commitment to continue to support the MNJTF until the Boko Haram terrorist group is eliminated and the Lake Chad Basin region is stabilized; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council,

1. Endorses the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Activities of the MNJTF against the Boko Haram; and takes note of the achievements registered thus far in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group, particularly, including the degradation of the fighting capacity of the Boko Haram, the continued surrendering of the Boko Haram combatants and their families, the continued return and re-settlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees; as well as in the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience (RS-SRR) of the Lake Chad Basin region;

2. Commends the MNJTF for the achievements registered to date and underscores the importance of consolidating and preserving these achievements, as well as the current momentum in the fight against the terrorist group, including through peace strengthening and quick impact projects in liberated areas;

3. Also commends all MNJTF Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) for their continued sacrifices and support to the force; underlines the importance of enhanced cooperation and collaboration between and among the countries of the region, including through intelligence sharing and joint operations in the fight against the Boko Haram and, in this respect, welcomes and encourage the ongoing negotiations to ensure the active continued participation of the Republic of Chad and the Republic of Niger in the activities of the Mission;

4. Pays tribute to the MNJTF personnel who have paid the ultimate price and, in this regard, expresses heartfelt condolences to the families and Governments of the deceased and wishes speed recovery to all those sustaining injuries from the attacks by the terrorist group;

5. Underscores that, despite the milestones registered, thus far, Boko Haram remains an existential regional threat to peace, security and stability in the Lake Chad Basin area and beyond, and in this context, reiterates the need for sustained and well-coordinated operations to completely eliminate the group in all its hideouts within the Lake Chad islands, Sambisa forests and Mandara mountain ranges;

6. Expresses deep concern over Boko Haram’s sustained use of Improvised Explosives Device (IED) against security forces and civilian population, abductions of civilians for ransom and proliferation of small arms and light weapons across international borders in the region and, in this regard, reiterates the strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, particularly, the Boko Haram group and reaffirms the need for a well-coordinated, multipronged and sustained regional collective security approach towards defeating the terrorist group;

7. Underlines the importance of multidimensional approaches that more effectively address the structural root causes of, and factors that facilitate, terrorism and violent extremism in the Lake Chad Basin region, including through investing in local economic development, peace, reconciliation and tolerance education and promotion of inter-faith dialogue, as well as provision of basic public services;

8. Stresses the need for continued implementation of the RS-SRR as a long-term sustainable solution to the Boko Haram activities and other forms of insecurity in the region, as well as for managing the surrendering Boko Haram combatants and resettlement of IDPs and refugees;

9. Underlines the need for further strengthening the MNJTF among others, by providing the Mission with enhanced capabilities, including force enablers and force multipliers;

10. Supports the implementation of initiatives to counter the illicit circulation of small arms; encourages all troop contributing countries to continue to actively participate in the activities of the force and take steps to avoid security vacuum in the overall operations of the MNJTF and requests the Lake Chad Basin Secretariate to continue engaging with Niger Republic to ensure its full return and cooperation with the Force;

11. Calls on the Lake Chad Basin Secretariat to promote a comprehensive, multi-sectoral, and inclusive approach towards addressing security concerns in the Lake Chad Basin area as well as strengthen civil-military cooperation in a manner that creates a favorable environment for the return of displaced persons;

12. Stresses the need for scaling up resource mobilization efforts for the MNJTF including the allocation of additional equipment from the Continental Logistic Base to the MNJTF; commends the AU Commission for its unwavering support, including for the USD 1 Million from the AU Peace Fund Crisis Reserve Facility approved for 2024 and, in the same context, expresses gratitude to all partners, in particular, the European Union (EU), for the continued support to the activities of the MNJTF, including through the provision of funding for the period 2025-26;

13. Requests the AU Commission and the LCBC to renew the Memorandum of Understating (MoU) and Support Implementation Agreement (SIA) between AU, LCBC and MNJTF TCCs, which will guide the provision of AU additional support to the MNJTF, for a period of one (1) year, effective 1 February 2025;

14. Also requests the AU Commission, working in coordination with the LCBC Secretariat, to report to Council regularly on the activities of the MNJTF, in line with the relevant decisions of Council, particularly Communiqué PSC/AHG/ COMM.2(CDLXXXIV) of 29 January 2015;

15. Decides to renew the mandate of the MNJTF for another period of twelve (12) months, effective from 1 February 2025; and

16. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.