Sahel States to Establish Rapid Deployment Force and Early-Warning Centre to Confront Da'esh.

Nouakchott, 6 March 2106(Lana) The 5 Sahel states have announced, in the Chadian capital Ndjamena on Saturday, the establishment of a special force for rapid deployment and a Centre for threats analysis and early-warning to confront terrorist threats in the region. Local reports said defense ministers of the Sahel states, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger have decided, at a meeting in Ndjamena, to set up special forces units for quick response to threats by terrorist groups active in the African Sahel area. According to the Permanent Secretary of the Sahel States group Najem Al Haj Mohamed, the new force is made up of several units, each includes 100 highly trained men who can be quickly deployed in areas in which Da'esh and Al Qaeda fighters are active. The force, which the EU pledged to finance, will receive training in Spain and France, Mohamed said. The 5 Sahel States Group was set up in Nouakchott in September 2014 to face up to economic and security challenges, and to draw finance and investments to spur development in infrastructure projects in these countries. =Lana=