Ambassador Mike Waltz
U.S. Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
AS DELIVERED
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Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for chairing this important meeting. Thank you to our briefers, Secretary-General Guterres and ECOWAS Commission President Dr. Touray.
Colleagues, as we speak, Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists in the Sahel have paralyzed Mali with a fuel blockade.
Colleagues, the situation is dire there. And we see Al-Qaeda aiming to take over the entire country.
The United States acknowledges the counterterrorism efforts of the Malian armed forces against these and other terrorist organizations such as ISIS-Sahel. But the situation is worsening quickly.
We remain deeply concerned about the incidents of kidnapping, the incidents of hostage-taking across the Sahel as a means to finance these terrorist activities.
Unfortunately, since the veto of the UN sanctions regime in 2023, it has been deeply disappointing to see Mali's security situation continue to deteriorate. That decision removed critical tools from the international community that it relied on to promote accountability and promote stability. And the result has been an uptick, a massive surge in violence, has been a shrinking space for dialogue, and growing risks for civilians across the country and across the region.
The terrorist threats are not only intensifying, they are spreading, they are shifting southward, as evidenced by the terrorist attacks we've seen in Benin and Togo.
But particularly, the United States is concerned and outraged by the ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria by various ethnic militias in the Middle Belt, as well as terrorists like Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa in the north. It is tragic and it is unacceptable. Churches are burning. Villages are being razed. Thousands are killed. Clergy murdered simply for wearing a cross, for being a Christian, for daring to say they worship Jesus as Christ.
Just yesterday - just yesterday - 25 little girls - little girls - were kidnapped from their school, and one school official murdered while trying to protect them. From Maga Comprehensive Girls' Secondary School in Kebbi state.
Colleagues, this is happening. It is undeniable. And it is unacceptable.
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The United States condemns these attacks in the strongest terms and it demands accountability.
And as President Trump has made clear, we will not stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria. The Government of Nigeria must take immediate steps and do more to increase security, respond to early warnings, end impunity, and address the drivers of violence.
And colleagues, we need to see African leadership on these matters, and we need to see a coordinated response among all countries in the region. The situation is critical.
The United States will continue to work with regional partners to counter these common threats.
Thank you, Mr. President.
