Sixth Committee Hears Concerns Over Evolving Threats of Terrorism in Sahel, New Technologies, Interference in Domestic Affairs, as Debate Continues
Continuing its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism, Sixth Committee (Legal) speakers expressed concerns over the threats posed by the scourge in the Sahel region and the evolution of new and emerging terrorist threats, while others stressed that terrorism should not be a pretext to interfere in domestic affairs of States.
“Terrorism is jeopardizing the very existence of our States,” said the representative of Mali, observing that since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military intervention in 2011, the people of the Sahel have been suffering from terrorist attacks. The resurgent violence and insecurity have led to thousands of deaths, internally displaced people and refugees — as well as organized crime, and trafficking in drugs, arms, illicit goods and human beings. Spotlighting a 2023 charter adopted by Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali — which has since become the Confederation of Sahel States and aims to boost defense, security and diplomacy — she expressed regret that some States are working to undermine such coordinated efforts.
Also expressing concern over the increasing threat of terrorism in Africa — particularly in the Sahel and West Africa — Togo’s representative said that his country, “like many other countries in the region, has not been spared from this wave of violence”. Terrorism “compromises the essential values of our societies and has a devastating effect on development and lasting peace in our States”, he emphasized. Recalling the words of his country’s President [Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé] — “Africa’s stability is a matter of global security” — he urged the international community to assist regional States by providing training, equipment and intelligence-sharing to be used in the fight against terrorism.
The representative of Côte d’Ivoire, spotlighting recurrent terrorist attacks in West Africa, said these threaten both State stability and efforts to achieve regional socio-economic development. Underlining the need to act “upstream” and focus on prevention to counter this threat, he detailed national efforts to combat vulnerabilities in the areas along his country’s northern borders with Burkina Faso and Mali. These include financing projects to integrate youth into society and establish social infrastructure, as well as bolstering the operational capacity of troops deployed there. Further, he noted his country’s participation in the Accra Initiative which enables the sharing of information and intelligence with countries in the region.
For his part, Ghana’s representative observed that, so far, Operations Koudanlgou I, II, III and IV have been conducted along the shared borders of the Accra Initiative countries with relative success and, upon the agreement of the parties to the Initiative, a joint border operational plan has been developed. He further underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral, regional and international cooperation through intelligence sharing and early warning systems, capacity building and technology transfer.
Pointing to the crucial role of regional cooperation in countering terrorism, Sierra Leone’s representative spotlighted the Mano River Union initiative between Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, which aligns with the political declaration and regional action plan against terrorism adopted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However, he observed that despite facing leadership and financial setbacks, Da’esh and its affiliates still pose a threat with established cells and facilitation networks.
Echoing that view, the representative of the Republic of Korea highlighted the recent — and first in years — publicized beheading by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria and the growing threat of terrorism in West Africa. Stressing that the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS [Islamic State] must receive all necessary support, he urged States to support the UN Joint Appeal for Counter-Terrorism in Africa, to which his country contributed in 2024.
“In the Sahel, the escalation of violence caused by extremist groups has led to chronic instability,” Mauritania’s representative reported. Underscoring that “everything must be done to avoid groups merging and prevent the intensification of this vicious cycle of violence and instability”, she urged regional efforts to address rampant poverty, inequitable management and use of natural resources, political instability, ethnic and community violence and underemployment. More so, the rule of law and human rights in the fight against terrorism must be respected, she said.
Countering this stance, China’s representative said that human-rights and humanitarian concerns “must not be used as a pretext to interfere in other countries’ counter-terrorism efforts”. Rather, when combatting terrorism, priority should be given to development issues “to break the vicious cycle” between poverty and terrorism. “Terrorism is humanity’s public enemy,” he observed, stating that efforts to combat that threat must abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations — including respect for sovereignty.
The representative of Syria, rejecting the use of terrorism as a pretext to interfere in the internal affairs and undermine the sovereignty of States, said that — for more than a decade — some Western States have “even gone so far as to finance and arm terrorists so they continue to commit their crimes against the Syrian people”. He further underscored that the “totally unjustified military presence on our territory under the pretext of combatting terrorism is, in reality, an investment in terrorism” that hinders national efforts to provide security and stability and to re-establish State authority. Any counter-terrorism action taken on a State’s territory without its consent is “illegal” — “particularly in the absence of a mandate from the Security Council”, he declared.
Similarly, Venezuela’s representative, speaking for the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, emphasized that efforts to prevent and combat international terrorism cannot be used “to resort to the use or threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State”. Pointing to Israel’s continued attempts to “ignite and explode the Middle East region as a whole”, he condemned its attack against Lebanon on 17 and 27 September, its attack against the Iranian Embassy in Syria on 1 April and its 31 July attack that resulted in the assassination of the former Prime Minister of the State of Palestine.
Noting that his country has been under a “brutal Israeli aggression” since 8 October, with a blatant violation by Israel of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Lebanon’s representative stated: “We have seen how the ‘terrorism’ label is used to shut down human rights organizations, to trample on basic fundamental rights or crush the legitimate right of people to resist foreign occupation” — a right rooted in international law.
For his part, the representative of Mongolia also said that human rights and the rule of law must remain central to all counter-terrorism efforts, adding: “Counterterrorism strategies that respect human rights are more effective, sustainable and legitimate." To combat the “digital information disorder” — spread of disinformation in digital realm — his Government, in April, hosted a regional expert-level conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on countering the use of the Internet by terrorists and violent extremists.
Calling on States to properly manage new technologies and artificial intelligence, as they can fall into hands of terrorist groups, the United Arab Emirates’ representative recalled that that the Counter-Terrorism Committee — chaired by his country in 2023 — prepared “Abu Dhabi Guiding Principles” to address the threats posed by the use of unmanned aircraft systems used for terrorist purposes.
On this, the representative of India observed that terrorist groups have significantly increased their capabilities by acquiring new and cutting-edge technologies, including drones and unmanned aircraft systems with cameras, stressing that this growing menace can only be tackled through effective international collaboration, which remains elusive due to political divides. “India has faced the horrors of State-sponsored cross-border terrorism much prior to the world taking serious note of it,” he added.
However, Pakistan’s representative, calling his country a “victim of terrorism”, pointed out that Pakistan has the “will, determination and capability” to defeat externally sponsored terrorism, “ironically” aided and financed by its eastern neighbour. Noting that this scourge continues to mutate into various new forms, he underscored the need for UN’s counter-terrorism architecture to incorporate the new types and cyber-tools of terrorism, including cryptocurrencies and online terrorism recruitment.
“No nation is immune to the threat of international terrorism,” observed the representative of Malaysia, underscoring that it is crucial for the international community to present a united front against terrorism. He added: “Success in this endeavour would only be possible through collective efforts and international cooperation.”