Tribal, religious leaders sue for peace in the Sahara
Posted by African Press International on May 29, 2008
Publisher: Korir, africanpress@getmail.no source.apa
A delegation from the Popular and Social League of the Great Sahara Tribes comprising traditional and religious leaders from 21African and Asian countries is visiting Niger to find solutions to the insecurity prevailing in the Sahara area, mainly in northern Niger and Mali.
The delegations spokesman, Harika Azdine notes that this visit is part of exchanges with the Niger authorities on the situation in the north of the country in an effort to contribute to the return of peace, reconciliation and concord among the population”.
Azdine, who was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting on Wednesday with Niger acting Prime Minister, Albad Abouba (the holder attending the TICAD IV in Japan) added that his delegation was pleased with the “fruitful exchanges and the readiness” of the Niger authorities for peace.
“The visit by your delegation is a sign of regard, fraternity and solidarity and the Niger people are aware of this move”, the acting PM said.
Since February 2007, Niger has been facing an upsurge of rebel attacks by the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) which is demanding a better reintegration of the population in the uranium-rich northern part of the country with potential for oil potential production.
According to him, by taking up arms, the protagonists of this insecurity can only deter investors, saying that “the issues of poverty raised by those who took up arms are only used to conceal illicit activities mainly drug and arms trafficking”.
He further decried the existence of networks “which due to our porous borders and inadequate means of our states to control the Sahara, are operating in this area while fuelling a situation of insecurity in this space shared by various countries”.
The delegation has already visited neighbouring Mali which is also facing an insecurity in its northern part while some of the delegates are now in Chad.
Popular and Social League of the Great Sahara Tribes, launched in 2006 in Timbuktu (Mali) under the aegis of Libyan leader Muammar Kadhafi, groups tribal and religious leaders from 21 countries such as Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Mali, Eritrea, Chad, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and Mauritania.
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