Boko Haram steps up use of girls as bombers
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as the violation of human rights continues to fuel insecurity in the lake chad basin region mohammed said investing in community justice mechanisms would be essential for reconciliation as well as for ensuring accountability and promoting peace1 the united nations un has noted that boko haram fighters have stepped up the use of women and girls for suicide bombings1 therefore un deputy secretary-general ms amina mohammed said it was critical to shore up areas of lake chad basin that have been freed from the grip of boko haram terrorists1 mohammed in a video address to the security council also called for efforts to rebuild the lives of women and girls that had suffered at the hands of the terrorist group1 she said recent joint efforts of nigeria chad cameroon and niger had resulted in considerable progress in the fight against the extremists1 mohammed speaking via videoconference from liberia where she participated in celebrations to mark the end of the un peacekeeping mission noted the liberation of hostages as well as territorial gains1 it is now key to stabilise the areas that have been reclaimed and that we seize the opportunity to really promote sustainable development she said1 mohamed was joined by mohammed bila a representative of the lake chad basin commission based in ndjamena and senior conflict adviser at adelphi chitra nagarajan1 they painted a picture of the factors behind peoples suffering in the lake chad basin and driving some to terrorism one year after the council adopted its first resolution on the activities of boko haram in the region1 boko haram an islamist militant organisation based in north-east nigeria has carried out raids suicide bombings and kidnappings across the lake chad region over the past decade1 their operations have led to displacement insecurity destruction of infrastructure and what mohammed described as a complex and dire humanitarian situation with nearly 11 million people requiring assistance1 the group gained international notoriety in 2014 after abducting more than 270 girls from a government school in chibok nigeria1 it is believed to be behind the kidnapping last month of 110 schoolgirls from the nigerian town of dapchi most of whom were safely returned this week1 overall boko haram has abducted more than 4000 women and girls according to the un deputy chief who added that those who return to their communities are often stigmatised1 noting a progress in the war against the jihadist by the four countries of nigeria chad niger and cameroon the un said while children were deployed in 135 such attacks in 2017 a five-fold increase over the previous year1 she stressed the need to incorporate human rights and gender dimensions into activities aimed at countering terrorism or preventing violent extremism1 she said the increase in boko harams use of women and girls as suicide bombers could be due to a lack of women security officers who could search other women at checkpoints1 the un deputy scribe also called for more international action to support children affected by the upheaval in the region1 also briefing nagarajan who is based in northeast nigeria also used her briefing to touch on the gender-related aspects of the crisis and its impact on persons with disabilities1 she spoke of how women and girls were pushed into early marriage with combatants for example or they fall victim to sexual abuse and exploitation including at the hands of people who were supposed to protect them1 men and older boys are often the first to flee insecure areas she said speaking via videoconference from maiduguri adding women and girls were deliberately targeted killed and forcibly recruited by armed groups1 theyre viewed with suspicion arrested and detained by security agencies and they are involved in fighting leaving women of all ages as well as girls younger boys and older men struggling to cope1 mohammed bila a remote sensing expert with the lake chad basin commission spoke of how climate change had had an impact on water governance1 bila said the shrinking of lake chad had affected communities which depended on its shoreline to grow crops leading to increased competition for water accusations of river diversion loss of livelihoods and social tensions1 he told the council that the environmental monitoring network there was inadequate sparse poorly funded and operated with only one water level measurement station for the entire lake1 the environmental challenges facing the lake chad basin are interconnected to the challenges of climate change faced by the region of the sahel of africa1 the sahel is increasingly facing extreme variability of climate resulting in frequent droughts short-duration high-intensity rainfall desertification water scarcity land degradation and ultimately food insecurity1 consequently addressing the climatic root causes of local challenges through risk assessment and management will require a similar solution at the sahel regional level he said. nan1