Egypt presides over G5 Sahel chiefs of staff meeting

CAIRO - 13 February 2020: Egyptian Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid presided over the meeting of G5 Sahel chiefs of staff hosted in Cairo from February 9-11.

The G5 Sahel - encompassing Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso - was formed in 2014 as an institutional framework for coordination of regional cooperation in development policies and security matters in West Africa.

The chiefs of staff exchanged views on the security status of Sahel zone and means of reinforcing military cooperation and continuous coordination over matters of mutual interest. The Egyptian delegation presented the country’s vision on the capacity building of the G5 Sahel member states, and proposed offering training for the military personnel of those countries.


Egyptian Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid and G5 Sahel chiefs of staff in a meeting in Cairo on February 9-11, 2020. Press Photo


Farid asserted that continuous training and qualification of the Armed Forces of Sahel countries is a must in the face of cross-border threats composed by extremist groups. He added that developmental initiatives in marginalized areas must be fostered to ensure regional stability and inhibit extremist groups from recruiting new elements.

The Egyptian chief of staff congratulated the participants on the success of the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit previously held in Addis Ababa, where Egypt handed over the chairmanship to South Africa, and key continental matters were discussed like the Libyan crisis.

Egypt won by a majority of votes in the first round the membership of the African Peace and Security Council for 2020-2022. Also, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi expressed Egypt’s readiness to host an African Summit to confer about establishing an African counterterrorism joint force. In that context, Farid affirmed that the Egyptian Armed Forces pursue a state-level strategy that supports all African causes.

The chief of staff delivered the greetings of President Sisi and Minister of Defense and Military production Mohamed Zaki.