Terrorism pushes youth to illegal migration: Chad President

CAIRO – 7 November 2017: “Youth need to abandon the idea of heading to other countries to fulfill their dreams. They must be encouraged to seize opportunities in their respective countries,” Chad President Idriss Deby said in a World Youth Forum (WYF) session on Tuesday.

The third day of the forum kicked off with a session titled “Challenges and Issues Facing World Youth” in Sharm El Sheikh, where the Chadian president highlighted that terrorism in the Sahel region caused many youths to resort to illegal migration enduring all possible risks. Sahel is a region in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanese Savanna to the south.

“Happiness and prosperity do not happen as a result of dreaming but through actions. This is my advice to youth. They have to struggle and hunt opportunities,” Deby added.

“The continent suffered from colonization, neo-colonization, and poverty which should unify us to work together. We can establish a fund for youth through donations and contributions by businesspeople to be governed by youth,” Chadian president said.

“The reality youth live in, especially in Africa, is the most pressing issue on our planet as they have to deal with conflict, terrorism, and climate change,” the Chadian president stipulated; referring to his one-year term as a chairperson of the African Union (AU) where he worked extensively on youth issues.

Deby stressed that Africa has to boost the manufacturing sector in order to create jobs and reduce importation. He also agreed with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s point on the necessity of building a pan-African transportation network achieving continental self-efficiency.

“It is the responsibility of leaders to fight terrorism. We get accused of dictatorship when we fight terrorism. Be very vigilant of radicalism. No religion was set to spread terror,” Chadian president concluded.

Egypt’s first international youth event is set to run until November 10, bringing together 3,000 youth represented by 60 delegations from around the world.

The seven-day gathering witnesses the participation of official youth representatives over 18 years old, leaders of various youth networks, heads of state, media figures and around 250 young Egyptian expats. It is held under the theme "We Need to Talk."

The WYF sends a message of peace, prosperity, harmony and love to the entire world. It is considered a strong opportunity for youth globally to communicate with each other.

The idea of holding an international youth conference in Egypt was made during the third National Youth Conference in Ismailia, and it was approved by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. In July, the president announced organizing the WYF in Sharm El-Sheikh during the fourth National Youth Conference in Alexandria.