Addis Ababa, 22 July 2018: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, learned with shock of the news of the attack perpetrated last Thursday by elements of the Boko Haram terrorist group against civilians in a Chadian locality in the Lake Chad Basin, not far from the border with Niger. He strongly condemns this barbaric attack, in which several people, including children, were slaughtered, with others were wounded or abducted. He offers the condolences of the African Union to the bereaved families, as well as to the Government and people of Chad, and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded.

This despicable attack highlights the need for renewed efforts to put an end to the atrocities committed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin area. In this regard, the Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the African Union’s solidarity with Chad and the other member countries of the Multinational Joint Task Force mandated to fight the Boko Haram terrorist group. He underlines the AU's determination to pursue its efforts to assist in mobilizing all the support required for the full success of the action taken by the countries of the region.