UN Security Council slams Boko Haram atrocities

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned the terrorist activities of Takfiri Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria as a threat to the stability of Central African regions as well as the West.

In a Tuesday statement released in New York, the UNSC called for an immediate and stepped-up regional military collaboration to battle the Takfiri group in Nigeria and its neighboring countries.

Reiterating their resolve to combat all forms of terrorism, the fifteen UNSC “members underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of acts of terrorism to justice,” said the statement.

The UNSC also welcomed the assistance extended by the Chadian army in the fight against Boko Haram in neighboring Cameroon.

The development comes as Nigeria is only days away from nationwide elections while the threat from the Takfiri militants has made the voting process nearly impractical in the country’s northeastern regions.

Meanwhile, Cameroonian military forces launched airstrikes against Boko Haram on December 28, 2014 after nearly 1,000 of the Takfiri militants waged an armed assault on a military camp near the country’s northern border, forcing the Cameroonian soldiers to flee. The base was later recaptured by the Cameroonian troops.

On January 18, Chadian soldiers were deployed to join neighboring Cameroon to help fight the extremist militants.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” controls large parts of northeastern Nigeria and says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shootings and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its attacks in 2009, which have left over 13,000 people dead and 1.5 million displaced.