Egypt moves to strengthen the role of the Sahel and Sahara grouping in confronting security challenges

Written by: Mohammed Omran

Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs, met today with Edou Al-Haji, Executive Secretary of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, on the sidelines of his visit to the Chadian capital, N’Djamena. The meeting addressed ways to support the role of the Community and enhance its working mechanisms in order to contribute to establishing stability and strengthening security in the Sahel and Sahara region.

Minister Abdel-Aati stressed the importance of working to revitalize the group and maximize the benefit from its potential, reviewing the Egyptian vision regarding the priorities of the group’s work, which focuses on issues of peace and security, foremost among them combating terrorism and illegal immigration, and building the security capabilities of member states, as they are the most prominent challenges facing the region.

Egypt moves to strengthen the role of the Sahel and Sahara grouping in confronting security challenges

Minister Abdel-Aty also stressed the importance of maximizing the use of the tools and mechanisms available to the group, foremost among them the Sahel and Sahara Counter-Terrorism Center in Cairo, stressing Egypt’s full support for efforts to combat terrorism in the West African and Sahel regions, and emphasizing the need to adopt a comprehensive approach that combines the security and development dimensions to confront this scourge.

The Foreign Minister is heading to Chad to chair the meetings of the Egyptian-Chadian Joint Committee.

In a separate development, Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptians Abroad, traveled to N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, to chair the fourth session of the Egyptian-Chadian Joint Committee. This move aims to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and expand cooperation across various sectors.

The committee's work is witnessing broad participation from ministers and senior officials from both sides, as the discussions address mechanisms for developing cooperation in the political, economic, trade and investment fields, in addition to exploring opportunities for implementing joint projects that contribute to supporting development and strengthening the partnership between Egypt and Chad.

Pushing bilateral relations to broader horizons

The fourth session of the Joint Committee comes within the framework of the two countries’ keenness to strengthen the historical relations that unite them, and to work on developing cooperation in a way that serves common interests, especially in light of the regional challenges that require continuous coordination between Cairo and N’Djamena.

The meetings are expected to include discussions on increasing the volume of trade, encouraging investments, and enhancing cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, energy, agriculture, health and education, in order to achieve sustainable development in both countries.

Meetings with senior officials in Chad

The Foreign Minister is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with senior Chadian officials to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations and review prospects for cooperation in the coming period.

The meetings also address the exchange of views on the most prominent regional and international issues of common interest, most notably developments in the Sahel region, regional security, combating terrorism, and promoting stability in the African continent.

Joint coordination to support regional stability

The visit underscores Egypt's commitment to strengthening cooperation with African countries, particularly neighboring countries and the Sahel region, by supporting development efforts and consolidating security and stability, thus contributing to addressing challenges.