Yaoundé, Cameroon, 4 October 2021 — The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), in collaboration with the eight governors of the Boko Haram-affected territories and the Government of the Republic of Cameroon, today commenced the third edition of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum.

The two-day forum aims to assess and analyze the political, civil, security and humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB); provide an opportunity to build on the achievements made since the 2019 forum; and strengthen regional and cross-border cooperation in the fight against insurgency and terrorism in the region.

Since the breakout of the Boko Haram insurgency in the region in 2009, the region has struggled to curtail the impact of the group’s activities, ranging from massive internal and cross-border displacement, the destruction of social fabric and property, human rights abuses and disrupted public services, and limited capacities of government institutions.

In response, the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience (RSS) of the Boko Haram-affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin was developed in 2018 as a robust framework for addressing these complex and urgent challenges.¹ The strategy recognizes the need for a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and coordinated set of national and cross-border efforts, noting that collaboration along the humanitarian-development-peace nexus is vital for long-term stabilization, recovery and resilience.

“Despite challenges, we have recorded modest achievements in the attainment of our commitments of 2019. We have made progress from the continued support from the LCB governments, United Nations entities, African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and multilateral and bilateral partners. In addition, the contributions of civil society organizations (CSOs), traditional and religious leaders, the media, and the Multinational Joint Task Force, have been critical,” said Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, Executive Secretary, LCBC and Head of Mission, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).