Panafrican News Agency

Libya hosts preparatory meeting for CEN-SAD Extraordinary Summit

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Najla Al-Mangouch, on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the committee formed to prepare logistical issues for the extraordinary summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) in the Libyan capital.

The Summit will be held in accordance with the decisions of the CEN-SAD Executive Council meeting held in Morocco in March 2022.

The decision to hold the Extraordinary Summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States in Libya was taken during the ordinary session of the Community's Executive Council in Rabat, Morocco, on 29 -30 March, 2022, which also agreed on the return of the Executive Secretariat to its permanent headquarters in Tripoli.

In early June, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Government of National Unity held a meeting with the ambassadors of the countries of this regional grouping accredited in Tripoli.

During the meeting to discuss the logistical and executive modalities of the Summit, the Director of the Department of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed that "Libya is committed to hosting the proposed Extraordinary Summit in Tripoli this month", noting the importance of CEN-SAD politically and economically to serve the interests of member states and meet the aspirations of their peoples.

He confirmed that "the Libyan State has taken all the necessary steps to ensure the success of this upcoming Summit".

The meeting was attended by the ambassadors of Ghana, Tunisia, Niger and the Central African Republic, as well as the chargés d'affaires of the embassies of Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Eritrea, Somalia, Mali and the Comoros, and the honorary consul of Benin, according to the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 2019, CEN-SAD's headquarters in Tripoli was transferred to N'Djamena, Chad, due to the insecurity that prevailed in Libya since the fall of the former regime in the wake of the 17 February 2011 revolution.

The CEN-SAD was established on 4 February, 1998 in Tripoli with the main objective of political, economic and cultural integration among its members.

-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/RA 15June2022