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Join on Telegram Denver- Tene Birahima Ouattara, Ivory Coast’s defense minister has spent three days in the Moroccan capital, meeting with officials to “consolidate ties of friendship” between the two nations.
The Defense Minister was received by Abdeltif Loudyi, Moroccan Minister Delegate to the Chief of the Government, and the head of the National Defense Administration. Both ministers expressed satisfaction of the current relations between the two countries’ militaries, and highlighted military exercises and the exchange of security tactics and information as proof of this important relationship.
Discussions focused on improving the security situation via a “multidimensional” strategy, according to a press release by the Ivorian party. The meeting emphasized the importance of developing a regional strategy to combat security threats shared between the two nations.
Abdelfattah Louarak, Morocco’s Inspector General of the Armed Forces, received the Defense Minister for a security meeting. Louarak and Ouattara focused on the continuation of training exercises between Morccan and Ivorian security forces, to better coordinate against future security issues.
Although both countries enjoy relatively high levels of domestic security, regional instability continues from bordering nations, causing concerns for regional peace.
One of the most vital threats to the region continues to be Islamic jihadists from several extremist groups that have carried out brutal attacks. The Ivory Coast borders Burkina Faso, a country that has been marred by conflict with irregular extremist forces. In March of this year, Ivory Coast’s security forces came under attack twice in one night by jihadists near its border with Burkina Faso.
As Western forces, led by the French, announced a withdrawal from the region earlier this year, African forces are being forced to step up to counter the jihadi forces that still remain. These groups, such as Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, continue to be the focus of operations for many countries in the region, as attacks against civilians continue.
