The French special envoy for the Sahel, Christophe Bigot said in Nouakchott on Tuesday that he had held talks with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani about security and development in the region.
By Mohamed Moctar
Mr. Bigot who was speaking to journalists shortly after emerging from a meeting with El Ghazouani, said that the talks focused on the aftermath of the Pau summit (January 13) and the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance.
According to him, Mauritania will very shortly assume the presidency of the G5-Sahel, pointing out that summit in Pau was marked by a French, African and international response against terrorism.
For him, “this mobilisation was necessary because the situation is difficult in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso where very serious attacks have taken place and hundreds of thousands of people displaced.”
With regard to the second point, the French envoy indicated that the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, which is being held for the first time, takes place in Nouakchott (on February 25, 2020) under the authority of the French Foreign Affairs Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.
He pointed out that Mauritania as its venue is due to the fact that the country chairs the G5-Sahel and hosts its permanent secretariat.
According to Mr. Bigot, it is a question of anchoring the Sahel Alliance in Mauritania and welcoming “our African and European friends” to fight terrorism together and also combat it in the field of development”.
The French diplomat emphasised: “Terrorism is not only fought with weapons in hand, it is also fought by building hospitals, roads and providing jobs for young people”.
MOO/te/lb/as/APA