Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has hosted a high-level retreat of the Sahel countries and ambassadors on terrorism and diplomatic relationship challenges facing countries in the Lake Chad region.

The two-day retreat has brought together representatives from Sahel countries and ambassadors to deliberate on coordinated efforts to tackle terrorism, insurgency and the broader security crisis plaguing the region. for 17 years.

The retreat, held at the conference hall of the Musa Usman Secretariat complex on Saturday, underscores Maiduguri’s emerging role as a hub for regional counter-terrorism dialogue to overcome the challenges of terrorism and diplomatic relationship among the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin member countries. The member countries include Mali Bakina Faso, Niger, Chad, Nigeria, Mauritanian and Cameroon

Zulum, who has been at the forefront of advocacy for a comprehensive approach to insecurity, used the occasion to rally regional stakeholders around the need for a unified front against terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).

Speaking against the backdrop of Borno’s long-standing experience with insurgency, Zulum reiterated that a purely military approach has proven insufficient and that the terrorism and displacement affecting the Sahel cannot be solved by kinetic means alone.

Declaring the retreat session open, Zulum said: “I have been consistently advocating for a multifaceted strategy that combines robust military offensives with non-kinetic interventions such as de-radicalisation, reintegration, and humanitarian development.”

He added, “While our armed forces continue their brave operations, we must enhance intelligence sharing, community-based border management, and joint stabilisation initiatives alongside the Multinational Joint Task Force (MINTF).”

Speaking earlier, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Sola Enikanolaiye, called for stronger regional cooperation to tackle terrorism in the Sahel region, noting that governments across the region should focus on addressing the root causes of the crisis.

On his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dunoma Umara, said that the Sahel’s historical, cultural and economic ties with Nigeria made regional stability important to the country’s national security and socio-economic prosperity in the seven Sahel and Lake Chad Basin countries.

Also speaking, the ambassador of Chad to Nigeria, Brah Mahamat, called for a collective resolve to address the insecurity in the Sahel region, stating, “Although we belong to different institutional groupings, this should in no way impede our common security. Let us be clear: the enemy cares little whether we belong to CEMAC, ECOWAS or the AES.

Its aim is to continue slipping across our borders, exploiting the operational limitations we have imposed upon ourselves.”