Sahel and Sahara defence ministers approve plan to set up anti-terrorism center

Defence Ministers from the Sahel and Sahara regions (CEN-SAD) have reaffirmed their resolve to set up a regional center to combat terrorism.

The center is to be set up in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The decision to set up the center was first mooted last year when the ministers met in Egypt for the annual meeting and was given the green light at this year’s meeting in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan.

Ivorian Defence Minister, Alain-Richard Donwahi told the gathering: “The recurring security threats in the subregion and the tireless struggle against terrorist acts and the securing of our borders require appropriate and diligent solutions and responses to the causes of terrorism and their sources of funding.”

The center expected to be operation within eight months, will have personnel from all 28-member countries.

The Sahel-Sahara defence ministers meeting, considered the second largest sub-regional grouping on the continent aims at promoting regional cooperation among African countries in various fields.

The next meeting will take place in Nigeria.