Senegalese Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall on Monday asked China to support Sahel countries in their fight against terrorism during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Dakar.
Tall Sall, during the meeting broadcast on the internet, said “as part of our cooperation in the Sahel, we would like the voice of China, given its influence, to be a strong voice of support for Senegal.
“Also to all other countries involved in the fight against the problem of insecurity in the Sahel so that our forces will have more legal means to battle terrorists and irredentism with.’’
The Senegalese foreign minister said China is already investing in other areas such as agriculture, health care, culture, infrastructure, sports and a number of other sectors of Senegal’s economy
The minister expressed the hope that the bilateral cooperation would benefit peoples of both countries.
The Sahel region has been struggling to battle terrorism for years. In 2014, France launched Operation Barkhane to help the regional countries.
In June 2021, however, French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to discontinue it by the first quarter of 2022, explaining that a broader international effort to help the region fight terrorism would be made instead. (Sputnik/NAN)
