Part of the roundtable on the Sahel region held on the sidelines of the Aswan Forum. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
FM Abdelatty made these remarks during a high-level roundtable on the Sahel region held on the sidelines of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development.
The session brought together Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Traoré, Angola’s Foreign Minister Téte António, the African Union Commission’s Special Envoy for Mali Mamadou Tangara, the EU Special Envoy for the Sahel João Cravinho, UNDP Regional Director for Africa Ahunna Eziakonwa, and representatives from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the World Bank
During the session, Abdelatty reviewed Egypt’s training and capacity-building programmes for professionals from Sahel countries and highlighted Al-Azhar’s role in countering extremist ideology and promoting moderation through its educational and outreach missions in the region.
He reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to supporting development projects and strengthening institutions in Sahel states to address the root causes of extremism and promote long-term stability.
The minister said Egypt’s experience in fighting terrorism shows the need for a comprehensive approach that includes not only security measures but also development, education, and training.
Participants discussed the latest security, political, and economic developments in the Sahel and the shared challenges facing the region, particularly terrorism and instability.
They agreed on the need for stronger regional and international coordination and an integrated strategy that combines security, development, and education to address the causes of unrest and achieve lasting peace.
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