Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has called for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to address the worsening security and humanitarian challenges in the Sahel region, stressing that military action alone cannot bring lasting peace.
Governor Zulum made the call while delivering a keynote address at a roundtable session during the 5th Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in Aswan, Egypt.
Speaking from the perspective of a leader whose state has been at the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin, Zulum said the region’s crisis demands a multifaceted strategy that integrates security operations, socio-economic development, and humanitarian support.
“The crises of instability, terrorism, and displacement that plague the Sahel cannot be solved by kinetic means alone,” Zulum said. “We must look beyond the battlefield. There is an urgent need for a multifaceted approach that combines security, development, and humanitarian assistance in a synchronized manner.”
The governor stressed the importance of regional cooperation, noting that extremist and criminal groups operate across borders, often taking advantage of weak coordination among nations.
“In the Sahel context, you cannot address the challenges by just looking at two or three countries,” he said. “We must consider the broader Sahel as defined by the United Nations Strategy, covering 10 countries, including Mauritania, Gambia, and Guinea. Collaboration among the wider Sahel community is paramount.”
Beyond security, Zulum emphasized the need to tackle underlying socio-economic factors such as poverty, illiteracy, and climate-induced resource scarcity, which he identified as drivers of radicalization and recruitment into armed groups.
“For the last 15 years, we have had many interventions in Borno State, but humanitarian support is not a sustainable solution,” he noted. “There is a need for long-term development-focused approaches because without development, there can be no lasting peace or security.”
The roundtable brought together African leaders and policymakers, including Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Badr Abdelatty; Mali’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop; and Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, among others.
The Aswan Forum, organized under the theme of sustainable peace and development, serves as a continental platform for dialogue on addressing Africa’s complex peace and security challenges through integrated and homegrown solutions.
