China ready to help bring long-term peace to Sahel region: envoy

UNITED NATIONS -- China is ready to continue working with the international community towards long-term peace, stability and prosperity in the Sahel region, said a Chinese envoy to the United Nations (UN) on Nov 16.

China supports efforts to seek African solutions to African issues and a greater role for the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union in regional affairs, Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the Security Council's briefing on the Joint Force of the Group of Five (G5) Sahel nations, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

China is actively implementing its aid initiative worth 300 million yuan (45.56 million U.S. dollars) to the security and counterterrorism operations of the G5 Sahel Joint Force, Dai noted.

"The Security Council presidential statement on counterterrorism in Africa adopted last March must be effectively implemented," Dai added. "We hope the Council will give priority to the needs of the G5 and provide more sustainable and predictable financial support to the Joint Force."

Speaking of the COVID-19 pandemic, the envoy said China has sent multiple shipments of anti-COVID supplies to countries in the region and taken the initiative to share experience in this regard.

"We will continue to help them in combating the disease, including facilitating African countries' early access to vaccines," said Dai. "We will continue to support local socioeconomic development and livelihood improvement, and in the meantime, strive to maintain our results-based cooperation in spite of the pandemic."

The envoy called on the international community to support the electoral processes in some Sahel countries.

Noting the positive progress made by the joint force in regional security, he said that now is "not a time to relax" and asked for more predictable funding for the joint force.

The humanitarian situation is troubling, he said, stressing the need for a tailored response by the international community.