In order to address ongoing security, political, and humanitarian issues in West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, the UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, urged for increased regional communication and collaboration. He emphasized the growing threat presented by terrorist and other armed groups, especially in the central Sahel and northern Nigeria, as well as their expanding presence in coastal nations, while briefing the Security Council on the Secretary-General’s most recent report. Along with regional mediation measures and efforts to enhance cross-border collaboration, he also highlighted the revived diplomatic interaction between the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Simão promoted an integrated strategy that combines security measures, humanitarian aid, sustainable development, democratic government, and peacebuilding, emphasizing that military interventions alone cannot address the root causes of instability.