Egypt Urges Stronger CEN-SAD Role, Calls for Activating Cairo-Based Counter-Terrorism Centre

Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates, participated on Saturday, in the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), hosted in Tripoli, Libya.

During the session, the Foreign Minister delivered a statement outlining Egypt’s vision for enhancing the CEN-SAD effectiveness, thereby supporting security, stability, and development across the Sahel-Saharan region.

Ambassador Nader Zaki, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Minister Abdelatty emphasized the necessity of bolstering regional cooperation to confront mounting security threats in the Sahel-Saharan region, namely terrorism and transnational organized crime. He also underscored the importance of activating the organization’s specialized mechanisms, most notably the CEN-SAD Counter-Terrorism Centre, which headquarters is hosted in Cairo. In this context, he highlighted Egypt’s efforts to establish and equip the Centre’s permanent headquarters and to support its training activities, which would contribute to fostering stability.

Furthermore, Minister Abdelatty stressed that the current priority is to transition from merely resuming meetings to restoring institutional effectiveness, and from affirming guidelines to implementing practical programs with measurable outcomes.

The Foreign Minister noted that the CEN-SAD possesses the inherent potential to play a more effective role in promoting security, stability, and development in the Sahel-Saharan region. In this regard, he asserted the importance of establishing stable and transparent financial rules, ensuring consistent resources, and securing a collective commitment from member states to fulfill their respective obligations.

The Foreign Minister also reaffirmed Egypt’s support for efforts aimed at strengthening the role of the CEN-SAD, and its commitment to continued cooperation with member states and the Executive Secretariat in areas such as capacity-building, expertise exchange, and counter-terrorism. He underscored the importance of achieving tangible outcomes that would help restore the effectiveness of the CEN-SAD institutions and enhance its role in fostering security, stability, development, and regional integration, in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of the region’s peoples.

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