The Diplomat
Spain reaffirmed yesterday its commitment to the fight against terrorism and stabilisation in the Sahel region during a seminar organised in Niamey (Niger), according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The seminar, organised by our country under the title “The fight against terrorism in the Sahel. Spain’s commitment”, was held in the margins of the Niamey International Congress on Peace and Stabilisation in Conflict Zones and the Fight against Insurrectional Terrorism in the Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin. The Congress was attended by senior counter-terrorism officials from all the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) and international counter-terrorism specialists.
At the opening session of the Congress, which was attended by the Prime Minister of Niger, Brigi Rafini, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Latin America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, spoke virtually to convey a message of support to the Sahel countries in their fight against terrorism and Spain’s commitment to this effort.
Through the seminar and by sending a delegation of the highest technical level, Spain aims to highlight its presence and commitment to the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region, which it has been developing through various successful instruments and initiatives.
These initiatives are the GAR SI Sahel programme (Rapid Action Surveillance and Intervention Groups), led by the Guardia Civil, financed by the European Union and managed by the FIIAPP (International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy); an important component of our Armed Forces’ participation in EUTM Mali (European Union Training Mission), EUCAP Mali (European Union Training Mission), EUCAP Sahel Niger, EUCAP Sahel Mali; and Operation Ivory Coast, which, from Dakar, provides essential logistical support to the French mission Barkhane in the area.
The Spanish experts who participated in the Congress had the opportunity to present several of these initiatives and projects and to address certain priority aspects for the region, such as strategies for the prevention, investigation and dismantling of the terrorist threat, intelligence cooperation and the training of local police and armed forces.
