Egypt is to offer one thousand military-training scholarships
to African nations, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday
during a conference of defense ministers from the Community of
Sahel-Saharan States.
Sisi made the announcement during a meeting with senior delegates
to the conference, which opened in Sharm el-Sheikh two days ago and
concludes on Friday.
The event is being attended by the defense ministers of several
nations in the Sahel and Saharan regions, including Egypt's Defense
Minister Sidqi Sobhy.
The event provides an opportunity for nations to discuss security
developments and co-operation in the region, which faces a variety of
security and terrorist threats.
According to a ministry statement, Sisi said that Egypt's Defense
Ministry will provide one thousand scholarships to African countries,
allowing them to study at Egyptian military colleges and institutes.
The offer is aimed at enhancing co-operation with countries of the
Sahel-Saharan community, as part of Egypt's overall policy of improving
relations with African nations, said Sisi.
He emphasized the special importance of the conference in light of
security threats in the region and world, including recent attacks in
Europe, expressing condolences to the families those killed and injured
in Tuesday's attacks in Brussels.
The attacks confirmed the importance of concerted efforts by the
international community to eradicate all terrorist organizations and
prevent the dissemination of extremist ideas, he added.
The president also stressed the need for political solutions to
conflicts on the African continent in order to achieve development.
The participating defense ministers confirmed their keenness to
promote regional cooperation through the community in order to meet
common challenges, particularly the threat of terrorism, according to a
ministry statement.
Ibrahim Sani Abani, secretary general of the Community of
Sahel-Saharan States, praised the attendance of Sobhy at the conference,
saying the Egyptian minister's presence is very important.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Abani said that the
conference was being held in Sharm el-Sheikh due to ongoing security
issues in Libya, pointing out that the meeting aimed at re-activating
cooperation between the community states.
He said the conference could help meet such challenges as human
trafficking and the emergence of various terrorist groups, such as
Islamic State and Boko Haram, which cross national boundaries and
therefore require collaboration between different nations.
The UN Charter allows states to defend their borders and to form
regional organizations for the same purpose, said Abani, pointing out
that African countries should take the initiative to defend themselves
against terrorism, rather than relying too much on the UN Security
Council.
"The secretariat of the community is preoccupied by what is
happening in Chad and Somalia, and our role is to protect them," he
said. "It is necessary to get involved in this matter and to salute the
contributions of the secretary general of the United Nations and the
special envoy of the Sahel area and Libya."
Abani stressed the need for African nations to co-ordinate efforts in order to deal with security matters.
"The military and police forces of the Sahel-Saharan community
should be able to move easily across all the various borders of member
states to carry out security and stability tasks," he said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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