Geneva, June 30, 2012 (MAP)
Geneva, June 30, 2012 (MAP)
The human and security threats in the Sahel require a comprehensive regional approach, said Morocco’s permanent representative to the UN office in Geneva Ambassador Omar Hilale.
The international community should give priority to the situation in Mali and the Sahel, he said dyring a Conference on the crisis in the Sahel region held by the African group.
Hilale said that the deteriorating situation in the Sahel is taking place at a time the region is facing a food crisis following several years of drought.
Besides the human dimension, the crisis in Sahel is also related to a development crisis that was worsened by drought, said Hilale.
The Moroccan diplomat pointed to the initiatives spurred by HM King Mohammed VI to help the Sahel face the food crisis through sending food and medical aid and helping the region’s countries develop agriculture.
He recalled that Morocco was the first country to send food and medical aid to the refugees in Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso following the outbreak of the crisis in Mali.