•President hosts Sahel, Chad Basin leaders, others.
President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that instability in Chad Republic poses a serious threat to the peace and security of the countries in the Sahel and Chad Basin regions.
The President gave the warning yesterday while speaking at the opening of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) in Abuja.
He called on the international community to support Chad in its transition process from military to democratic rule.
According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the summit was convened to discuss the recent developments in Chad after President Idris Deby Itno died on the frontline, while defending the territorial integrity of his country.
The president was quoted to have said, ‘‘Our region is faced with difficult and several challenges that need the support and engagement of all to overcome.
‘‘While transnational crimes and rebellion cutting across our region continue to evolve in scope, the attendant conflicts also continue to retain their distinct form of inflicting untold hardship and difficulty on the lives of our citizens.
‘‘The threats by the Chadian rebel groups, who are clamouring to overthrow the government, must be viewed with all the seriousness they deserve because the consequences of a destabilised Chad to the sub-region cannot be imagined.
‘‘The flow of refugees and displaced persons from the country, unrestrained flow of arms, drugs and other harmful substances into Lake Chad and Sahel regions, which are already challenged by terrorists seeking to establish parallel systems, would further compound the security and stability of our areas and neighbouring countries.
‘‘It is, therefore, our collective duty and in honour of the memory of the men and women that have died in search of peace in the region, to rise in unison as leaders of the region to ensure that peace, stability and security are not disrupted in Chad and in the entire region.”
