Assembly/AU/Decl.3.(XXIV) Page 1 DECLARATION OF SUPPORT TO THE COUNTRIES OF LAKE CHAD BASIN COMMISSION (LCBC) AND BENIN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BOKO HARAM Doc. Assembly/AU/19(XXIV) Add.7 WE, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) meeting in our Twenty-Fourth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 30 and 31 January 2015; Reaffirming the aspirations of all Africans to peaceful coexistence and the spirit of Pan-Africanism, as enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union; Recalling the relevant sections of Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.536(XXIII), adopted at the 23rd Ordinary Session of our Assembly held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June2014, and the Communiqué of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa issued at the end of its meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2014; Recalling also the conclusions of the 436th Meeting of the Peace and Security Council held on 23 May 2014 and its 469th Meeting held on 25 November 2014 on the fight against Boko Haram, particularly the recognition of the progress made towards coordinated and collective efforts against terrorism and transnational organized crime within the framework of the Nouakchott Process on the Enhancement of Security Cooperation and the Operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture(APSA) in the Sahel-Saharan region; Welcoming the conclusions of the Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), comprising Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, as well as Benin held in Niamey, Republic of Niger on 7 October 2014, with focus on assessment of the security situation and the common strategy to adopt in the immediate term as part of measures to combat the terrorist group Boko Haram in the region; In solidarity with LCBC Member States and Benin in their determination to strengthen their operational and intelligence capacities, and the coordination of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Lake Chad Basin, as expressed at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads State and Government of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held on 15 December 2014; Approving the engagement of LCBC Member States and Benin for a common and coordinated response to the security challenges posed by Boko Haram in Nigeria and in neighbouring States; 1. APPEAL to all Member States of the Union and other international players, including the United Nations, to support the efforts being exerted by LCBC Member States and Benin to establish an appropriate legal framework to govern cross-border military operations against Boko Haram;