UN: Boko Haram remains a threat even as they lose territory

The U.N.’s envoy for Central Africa says a multinational regional force has reclaimed much of the territory controlled by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin but the extremist group remains a serious threat to regional stability.

Francois Lounceny Fall told the Security Council on Wednesday that Boko Haram’s ability to cause mayhem should not be under estimated.

He said the countries of Lake Chad Basin continued to fund the regional force, but a lack of money was hampering its efforts operationally and in terms of providing support to the large number of people displaced by Boko Haram — whose fighters are also hindering humanitarian access.

Fall said eradication of the group will remain a long-term venture that requires addressing the root causes of violent extremism including marginalization and poverty.