Magharebia

[AFP/Fadel Senna] Speakers take part in a debate on the Arab World as part of the MEDays Forum on November 15th in Tangie

By Hassan Benmehdi in Casablanca for Magharebia

From Maghreb integration to Sahel security, political, economic and intellectual leaders debated a range of issues at the latest “Forum of the South”.

Four days of talks between Maghreb, African and European partners wrapped up this week in Tangier with plans for a joint approach to protecting the Sahel region.

“Security in the Sahel is one of the key recommendations, because we proposed setting up a 5+5 dialogue between the countries of the Maghreb and those in the Sahel,” said Brahim Fassi Fihri, whose Amadeus Institute organised the sixth MEDays Forum.

“The fact is that we face the same security, humanitarian, socio-economic and sustainable development challenges,” Fassi Fihri told Magharebia at the conclusion of the event on Saturday (November 16th).

The summit’s closing “Tangier Declaration” advocated a joint strategy and “inclusive response” to the threat of destabilisation of the Sahel by armed groups.

To this end, the participants underlined the need to set up a permanent consultation and information-sharing mechanism to tackle the terrorist threat promptly and effectively.

“There must be a consensus” on mobilising against the terrorist forces that perpetrate organised crime, kidnappings and assassinations, Malian Foreign Minister Zahabi Ould Sidi Mohamed told forum attendees.

He called for “committed co-operation” among international partners to assist Mali, because “the security of the region and the world” was at stake.

Former Malian President Dioncounda Traore, winner of the 2013 MEDays Forum Grand Prix, said that his country still needed support from the international community, calling on countries to “not drop their guard”.

He added that due to the complex nature of the terrorist threat, which involves several interlinked cross-border aspects, “it is no longer possible for a state or even an entire region to tackle this phenomenon on its own”.

With regard to Libya, the Tangier Declaration appealed to the international community to help the country bring its still incomplete transition to a close.

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz said that the security challenges currently faced by North Africa and the Sahel-Sahara were having a damaging impact on the rest of the region and underlined the need to pay particular attention to international regional co-operation.

The Tangier Declaration urged the international community to support all initiatives that could re-launch Maghreb integration, such as a summit for heads of state and re-opening of the land border between Algeria and Morocco.

The declaration from this year’s MEDays Forum was more pragmatic in its approach, according to Moussa El Mouritani, an expert on Islamist movements.

“A first reading of the forum’s recommendations clearly highlights this unconditional call from the participants to take effective action against the terrorist threat in the Sahel,” he said.