Egypt deputy FM for African affairs arrives in Nouakchott for G5 Sahel summit

NOUAKCHOTT, Feb 25 (MENA) - Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdy Loza arrived on Tuesday in Nouakchott, Mauritania, leading a delegation to the sixth summit of the G5 Sahel heads of state.

During the summit Burkina Faso is set to hand over presidency of the alliance to Mauritania, a diplomatic source here said.

Cairo pays big attention to the Sahel region and this is reflected through humanitarian and logistics aid, as well as training courses, it provides for the five countries.

Egypt also helps the Sahel countries in fighting the threat of terrorism. Its prestigious religious institution, Al Azhar, provides training courses for imams and students to help counter extremist ideologies and promote the moderate teachings of Islam.

The G5 Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – face a number of challenges, including the growing threat of terrorism and organized crime, climate change and demographic growth.

The Sahel Alliance was created in 2017 to foster cooperation between major development partners and G5 countries. The Alliance’s 12 donors seek to speed up the implementation of development activities that respond directly to needs expressed by populations.