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Rabat – This Friday in Brussels, at a high-level international conference on the Sahel, Minister of cooperation and foreign affairs Nasser Bourita met with several high officials of the European Union, G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Chad, Niger, Mali) heads of state and government, UN and AU representatives, as well as important officials from friend states such as USA, Japan, and the Golf states.
The conference, which was held under the auspices of the European Union, allowed the mobilization of € 414 million, a sum that will wholly be allocated to operations in support of the G5 Sahel Joint Anti-Terrorism Force.
During the conference, participants also discussed means to strengthen coordination on security-related strategic issues and reinforce effectiveness regarding sustainable development aids in the region.
The meeting, Nasser Bourita shortly afterwards told MAP, was also an occasion to discuss other regional and international issues.
The EU, key contributor to stability and security measures in the G5 Sahel area, vowed, after this week’s conference, to double its efforts towards financing the region’s joint anti-terrorism force. In this regard, EU officials at the conference assured participants that Europe would increase its support to € 100 million, which, they said, together with other international supports, will help G5 Sahel countries acquire the necessary means to improve security and crush terrorism in the region.
“The EU plays a major role in this Sahel alliance which, launched in July 2017, aims to coordinate and channel, in a more effective way, financial help to the region’s most fragile zones,” said a press release after the conference, adding that the aid initiative is open to all international partners that hope to join the anti-terrorism fight.
