06/04/2021
This conference on combatting terrorism in the Sahel was attended by more than 50 international terrorism experts
Seminar organised by Spain at the Niamey Forum
FIIAPP was at the Niamey Forum on stabilising conflict zones and the fight against insurrectionary terrorism in Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin.
It took part through some of the European cooperation projects that it manages, such as ECÍ Niger, which fights the criminal networks responsible for illegal immigration and human and migrant trafficking in Niger. GARSI Sahel is also forming GAR units in the area and CT-Public Spaces is working to prevent and reduce terrorist attacks and their impact on public spaces in Kenya, Senegal and Ghana.
The Forum, which was chaired by the president of Niger , Issoufou Mahamadou, was an opportunity to analyse possible solutions to a situation that is hindering the development of Sahelian countries. Two large panels, Stability and The Fight against Terrorism, made up the core of the work done during this international meeting that was attended by researchers, civil, military and police authorities, mainly from the countries that make up the G5 Sahel (Burkina Fasso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad) and their allies.
Spain had a high profile at the event, since the Embassy of Spain in Niger organised a seminar on Spain’s commitment to combattingterrorism in the Sahel. This event, chaired by the Deputy Director General for International Cooperation against Terrorism, Drugs and Organised Crime and Ambassador on Trafficking in Human Beings, provided information about FIIAPP ’s contribution in the fight for the stability of the region through European cooperation projects including CT Public Spaces, ECI-Niger and GARSI-Sahel.
Two factors that cause instability converge in the Sahal regions. The first is the low level of human developmentthat makes this region the lowest ranked in the world. The second is the increase in armed crises and the emergence of jihadist terrorismin the last ten years which have led to more than 300 civilian deaths in Niger so far this year. The Sahel is a priority region for COOPERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA,which is working to establish safe contexts within the framework of the defence of human rights.
