United Nations: Combating terrorism requires eliminating poverty first

Leonardo Santos Simao, Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, stressed that terrorism originates in poor environments, and that combating it requires eliminating poverty first.

He said: "Poverty must be fought and the efforts of countries must be united in order to improve the living conditions of the population. Then terrorism will no longer have fertile ground."

He pointed out that the lack of resources, including water, creates conflicts and prompts the taking up of weapons, and that “water scarcity and governments’ lack of ability to provide water to their citizens leads to exacerbation of conflicts in societies... Conflicts break out between those who have water and those who do not.”

He stressed that it is very easy to obtain weapons in the Sahel region, and that local communities are arming themselves to protect their water resources.

He pointed out that poverty was the reason behind many military coups in countries of the region in recent years, as the residents of some countries there are dissatisfied with the economic and social situation in their countries, and they believe that their governments are not doing enough to solve their problems, which creates unrest.