UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the UN Security Council to take urgent action to address the multidimensional security and humanitarian crisis gripping the Sahel, warning that its consequences have become “a growing global threat.”
In his briefing to the Council, Guterres stressed the need to act on three key fronts:
1. strengthening security and political cooperation among Sahel countries, particularly in the wake of recent political shifts;
2. ensuring robust funding for humanitarian response, as current appeals to meet basic needs remain critically underfunded;
3. tackling the root causes of terrorism — the collapse of the social contract and the lack of education and employment for young people — which requires a long-term development strategy.
He highlighted the devastating humanitarian toll, including the displacement of nearly four million people, and the closure of over 14,000 schools and 900 health facilities, leaving millions without essential services.
