Egypt, Mali discuss counter-insurgency cooperation

Menna Zaki
2 Min Read

Minister of Defence Sedki Sobhi met with Mali’s Army Chief of Staff General Mahmane Toure to discuss the importance of coordination and cooperation between African countries to counter the threats posed by “terrorist organisations” in Africa, said a Tuesday statement by the armed forces.

Sobhi has met with Mali’s Minister of Defence Bah N’Dao in August where they discussed ways to strengthen military cooperation between both countries.

Mali has been suffering from conflict in its northernmost region, after the Tuareg, an ethnic minority spread across several countries in the Sahara, and Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, launched a campaign against the Malian government in 2012, which then led to a French military intervention.

Egypt’s armed forces face attacks by Islamist militant groups as well. On 24 October 30 security personnel were killed in two separate attacks in North Sinai.

In reaction the Egyptian military has undertaken security measures, particularly in North Sinai, to eliminate “terrorist elements”. These measures involve the relocation of residents living on the border with Gaza to destroy all the smuggling tunnels connecting the town of Rafah to the Gaza Strip.

A state of emergency that included a nighttime curfew was imposed on the area for a period of three months in order to disrupt insurgent activity.

The majority of attacks staged in Sinai were claimed by Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, who pledged allegiance to the ‘Islamic State’ group in Iraq and Syria on Monday.

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