China calls for efforts to safeguard political stability in West Africa, Sahel

UNITED NATIONS, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called for efforts to safeguard political stability in West Africa and the Sahel.

At present, the situation in West Africa and the Sahel remains generally stable, with steady economic growth, but the region continues to face many challenges, said Sun Lei, the charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

The international community should help countries in the region address governance, security, and development challenges and consolidate the hard-won positive momentum, he said.

In the past seven months, countries in the region have steadily advanced their political processes. The international community should continue to support countries in the region in preparing for elections, consolidating the gains of political transitions, strengthening governance capacity, and exploring development paths suited to their own national conditions, he told the Security Council.

The counter-terrorism situation in the Sahel has become increasingly complex and severe, said Sun. "Countries in the region should continue to strengthen cooperation in border management, intelligence sharing, and joint counter-terrorism operations, improve regional collective defense arrangements, and enhance their capacity to independently address security risks. Different counter-terrorism mechanisms should strengthen coordination and cooperation to generate greater synergy."

The international community should provide support in funding, equipment, and technology to help countries in the region strengthen their security capabilities, he added.

For a long time, weak economic foundations, insufficient food production capacity, and high youth unemployment have continued to undermine the region's development resilience, creating conditions conducive to instability, noted Sun.

"We should adopt a holistic approach that addresses both symptoms and root causes. While providing humanitarian assistance and easing livelihood difficulties, greater investment should be made in modern agriculture, food security, youth employment, and infrastructure, so as to address development shortcomings, unleash endogenous growth drivers, and consolidate the gains of peace through sustainable development," he said.

China is a sincere friend and reliable partner of the countries of West Africa and the Sahel. Under frameworks such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China stands ready to continue deepening practical cooperation with countries in the region across various fields, continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness and security, and make greater contributions to lasting peace, development, and prosperity in the region, he said.