Terrorist attack in Burkina Faso condemned

ABU DHABI: The UAE strongly condemned the terrorist atack that took place in the Yatenga Province, in northern Burkina Faso, which resulted in the death of dozens of innocent people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at destabilising security and stability in contravention of human values and principles.

The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the government and people of Burkina Faso and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime.

Separately, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, the United Arab Emirates called for the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all terrorist groups, particularly Da’esh and its affiliates.

“Despite gains made in the elimination of Da’esh leadership, the transnational threat that the group and its affiliates pose to international peace and security is growing,” said Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Chargé d’affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN. “This underscores the continued need for the Global Coalition Against Da’esh to maintain pressure on the terrorist group and ensure its enduring defeat.”

Ambassador Abushahab emphasised the need to prevent and counter terrorism in his statement, including by harnessing the power of emerging technologies. “Technology has the potential to considerably improve the quality of people’s lives. However, it can also be a double-edged sword: rapid technological evolution and wide commercial availability challenges Member States’ efforts to prevent misuse by terrorist groups.”

He further stressed that the Council needs to pay greater atention to the capacity of terrorist groups - including Da’esh, Al-shabaab, and the Houthis - to exploit technologies, especially drones, in their operations.

The UAE also underlined the issue of the exploitation of Islam by terrorist groups to justify their acts of violence and hate through self-proclaimed Islamic titles for their organisations.