On Wednesday and Thursday, the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, will host a regional conference on cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel, to effectively combat terrorism, border crimes, and organized crime.

The conference is being organized by the European Union Delegation to Libya (EUBAM) and the European Union Special Representative in the Sahel region, with the participation of representatives from Libya, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

On the eve of the conference, Simonetta Silvestri, Head of the Regional Advisory Coordination Unit in Mauritania, said: “We are looking forward to fruitful discussions and a results-focused meeting, and together we expect to strengthen regional cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel region, exchange best practices on some aspects related to cross-border management, and identify areas for improvement.”

Silvestri indicated that "the exchange of best practices on border management and security at the international level is of paramount importance to improve the performance of competent authorities, and the meeting is expected to create the conditions for more effective procedures and controls and a better use of available resources."

In her turn, the Special Representative of the European Union for the Sahel, Emanuela Del Rey, referred to the cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel, stressing the need to further develop the regional dimension and enhance cross-border dialogue and cooperation between the Sahel countries and Libya.