Sahel/Security: The flip face – Coordination and commitment

By on March 19, 2010
Sahel foreign ministers have concluded to bring together their chiefs in charge of terrorism and their armed forces chiefs of staffs to meet in April 2010. It is the most concrete decision reached, calling these two groups to confer, each in its field area, and submit their conclusions to the brass.

Other information that has leaked out of this “top security summit”, was the request addressed to the participants to discuss all the topics endangering the region, frankly and sincerely. “Talks were difficult and tense”, underscore some Algerian newspapers. On one of his intervention, Mr. Messahel hammered the audience by reminding that Algeria has unequivocally condemned the payment of ransoms to the kidnapers and hostage taking, and recalled the obligation of each State to fully implement the UN resolutions on this subject. This statement embarrassed the Malian minister for granting the release to four terrorists, and forced him to leave the meeting room for a long time.
Finally, the summit ended with a document stating the final determination of the sevencountries to eradicate the phenomenon of terrorism and restore the Sahel-Saharan trade, vocation of peace, stability and fruitful cooperation.
The seven ministers have indicated their commitment to expand the military and security cooperation to economic and social development. And the last but not the least, Mr. Messahel also stated that “other countries should also join this engagement, but comply with UN resolutions concerning the fight against terrorism…

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