UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on the international community to help countries in the Sahel region in northern Africa with security and economic development.
Terrorism, transnational organized crime, poverty, imbalance in development and other problems are threatening peace and development in this region, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
The situation requires greater inputs and a holistic approach by the international community, he told the Security Council.
Wu asked for international efforts to seek political settlement to regional hotspot issues so as to achieve stability and create conditions for peace and long-term development, adding that the international community should help Sahel countries to promote peace and national reconciliation.
He also stressed the need to accelerate development in the region and address the root causes of conflict.
The international community should honor its aid commitments, respect the leadership and ownership of the regional countries, help them with socio-economic development, formulate development strategies suited to their national conditions and improve their capabilities for self-reliant development, he said.
Wu also asked the international community to help Sahel countries upgrade security capabilities, while stressing the need for cooperation with regional and subregional organizations.
China will continue to help Sahel countries achieve lasting peace and prosperity, Wu said.
The Sahel is an ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone located in the northernmost part of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a vast belt stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea and includes parts of a dozen African countries.
Thursday's Security Council meeting was mainly about the five countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, which have set up a joint military force to fight terrorism in the region.
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