UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The Security Council statement unanimously condemns all terrorist attacks, abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region.
"The Security Council welcomes the crucial initiative of [Nigerian] President Muhammadu Buhari, to convene the Second Regional Security Summit on May 14 in Abuja, Nigeria to evaluate the regional response to the threat posed by Boko Haram," the statement, approved on Friday, noted.
The abuses included "killings and other violence against civilians, notably women and children, abductions, pillaging, rape, sexual slavery and other sexual violence, recruitment and use of children, and destruction of civilian property," the statement said.
The Security Council also expresses alarm at Boko Haram's connections with the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia.
In 2015 Boko Haram expanded its attacks from Nigeria to neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad, prompting those countries to establish a multi-national joint task force. During its six-year insurgency, Boko Haram has killed 20,000 people and displaced as many as 2.5 million in Nigeria alone.