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The Caucus of Sahel-Saharan States discussed ways to restore the effectiveness of its institutions and strengthen its role in achieving security, stability, development and regional integration, including combating terrorism in the Sahel region of Africa, after resuming its meetings in the Libyan city of Tripoli.

On Saturday, the Libyan capital, Tripoli, hosted the meetings of the twenty-second regular session of the Executive Council of the “Community of the Sahel and Sahara” countries, in the presence of foreign ministers and representatives of member states.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meetings discussed “ways to advance cooperation in issues of peace and security, combating terrorism and illegal immigration, and enhancing its effectiveness, in a way that contributes to restoring the regularity of institutional work and preparing for holding its meetings at the summit level during the coming period.”

The Community of Sahel-Saharan States faces challenges and difficulties that hinder the activation of its role at the security and development levels. According to specialists in African affairs, they pointed out that “the group maintains a degree of political cooperation among its members, but faces financial and logistical challenges in strengthening security coordination among its members,” stressing “the importance of activating its role in combating terrorism in the Sahel region and illegal immigration.”

The “Community of Sahel-Saharan States” was established in Tripoli on February 4, 1998, based on an initiative by the late Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, following a summit in which the presidents of Mali, Chad, Niger, and Sudan participated, and a representative of the President of Burkina Faso. The group now includes 25 African countries around the Sahara and the Sahel, and also has observer status with the United Nations.

The headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Assembly moved from Tripoli to N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after the overthrow of Gaddafi in February 2011, before returning to the Libyan capital again, and reopening last April.

The executive council of the group held its first meeting on Saturday, and the head of the “national unity” government in Libya, Abdel Hamid Al-Dabaiba, expressed his “aspiration that the group will form a regional framework capable of unifying efforts to confront political, security and economic challenges,” in addition to “strengthening coordination in combating terrorism, organized crime, and irregular migration, and supporting border security and regional stability.”

In his speech at the opening session, Al-Dabaiba pointed out that “confronting the security, economic and development challenges in the region requires moving from coordination and consultation to effective collective action,” adding: “We aspire that the next stage will witness practical steps towards expanding trade exchange, encouraging joint investments, developing infrastructure projects, transport and energy, and enhancing cooperation in the areas of food security, combating desertification and climate change.”

The meetings of the Executive Council of the “Council of the Sahel and Sahara” come as the region faces many security challenges, according to the Chadian writer and analyst, Saleh Younes, who said that “the Sahel region is home to a number of terrorist organizations and armed groups, due to its desert nature,” noting that “the region is attractive to cross-border organized crimes, including illegal immigration,” stressing “the importance of security coordination between these countries.”

Younis explained, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the countries of the group maintain a degree of political cooperation and coordination, but they face many challenges at the level of security coordination.”

He said, “There are difficulties in activating security cooperation between the countries of the group, related to financing and the lack of logistical capabilities,” and noted that “there is reliance on the Tripoli meetings to restore the effectiveness of the group and its roles again, especially in confronting terrorist organizations in Lake Chad.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty stressed the need to “strengthen regional cooperation to confront the escalating security threats in the Sahel and Sahara region, most notably terrorism and cross-border organized crime.”

In his speech, he stressed “the importance of activating the group’s specialized mechanisms, most notably the Sahel-Sahara Center for Combating Terrorism, hosted by Cairo,” and stressed the importance of “strengthening the role of the group in achieving security, stability, development, and regional integration,” according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Cairo hosts the “Sahel-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Center,” which is a regional center specialized in strengthening the fight against terrorism. In recent years, it has also hosted meetings of the defense ministers of the countries of the group and security officials, in order to enhance cooperation in combating terrorism in the African Sahel region.

Younes believes that “the terrorist organizations that are spreading in the Sahel region possess many capabilities that require strengthening regional and international cooperation to confront them,” and pointed out “the necessity of searching for sources of funding from the international community, including the European side, to reduce the threat of these organizations in this region.”

During the opening session of the group’s Executive Council, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said that “the Community of Sahel and Sahara has real capabilities that qualify it to play a more effective role in promoting security, stability, and development,” and stressed “the importance of having stable and transparent financial rules, regular resources, and a collective commitment to the duties assigned to member states.”

The step to activate the role of the “Council of Sahel-Saharan” mechanism at this time is important, in light of the security and economic challenges the region is witnessing, according to the African affairs expert in Egypt, Rami Zohdi, who said that “cooperation between the countries of this grouping can contribute to confronting the many security and economic risks facing the African Sahel region, most notably the challenge of terrorism and the spread of armed organizations.”

Zuhdi believes, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the Sahel and Sahara region is considered one of the regions that suffer most from security and economic fragility that affects the collective security of African countries.”

He said, “Activating the role of the group will contribute to supporting national state institutions and enhancing regional connectivity between these countries,” adding that “there are development projects to connect these countries, including the land road project between Egypt, Libya, and Chad, and the project to connect Algeria and Nigeria.” He said, “These projects will not be completed without collective coordination that contributes to their implementation and activating their role.”

The pace of fighting in Yemen has increased during the past hours with widespread confrontations between the government armed forces and the Houthi group, including the governorates of Taiz, Ma’rib, Al-Jawf and Lahj. The Yemeni army’s attacks exceeded 1,200 targeting operations against Houthi sites, gatherings and reinforcements, amid air strikes that targeted Sana’a and Saada, and the interception of missiles and drones launched towards Saudi Arabia.

The developments are accompanied by an aggravation of the humanitarian and health crisis in the city of Taiz, with its hospitals on the verge of stopping due to running out of fuel, in light of the continued siege imposed by the Houthis on it.

On Saturday, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced the interception and destruction of a cruise missile launched by the group towards the Riyadh region, according to the official spokesman for the coalition, Major General Turki al-Maliki.

This came after the interception of a drone in the airspace of the Riyadh region, and another in the Mecca region, and the destruction of two ballistic missiles launched towards the Najran region, according to coalition announcements over the past two days.

These developments come in light of the expanding scope of military confrontations, missile and drone escalation, and aerial bombardment related to the ongoing war in the country and Operation “Yemen Dawn,” which was launched by the head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, more than a month ago, with the aim of restoring state institutions from the grip of the Houthi group.

Military sources reported that the Southern Giants Forces and the Popular Resistance achieved, on Saturday, new field progress on the Mudaraba Front in Lahj Governorate, after taking control of a number of gates and strategic sites, following violent confrontations with Houthi elements, of which they were able to capture a number.

Battles of Al-Jawf and Marib

The confrontations in Al-Jawf Governorate extended to the fronts southeast of the city of Al-Hazm, as the Yemeni armed forces fought the battles with the support of military and drone aircraft, while they were able to confront multiple combat formations south and southeast of the governorate, according to army data.

The clashes witnessed the participation of artillery and rocket launchers along the front lines, and the Yemeni army says that its forces dealt with the sources of Houthi fire and inflicted losses on the combat groups that pushed the group to the lines of contact.

The army added that warplanes carried out five raids targeting Houthi military concentrations and vehicles, which resulted in the destruction and damage of a number of equipment and vehicles and the killing and wounding of members of the group's ranks.

Field military sources in Ma'rib say that government forces are close to controlling the strategic Mas camp, after recovering a number of vital sites in the Mahzam Mas area near the camp, amid the retreat of the group's members.

A Yemeni military official spoke of the outbreak of violent battles in Wadi Halhalan in Ma’rib Governorate, which he said resulted in the capture of dozens of Houthi militants, while repelling attacks through which the group attempted to regain positions it lost during the past hours.

Extensive government operations

In Taiz Governorate (southwest), the Yemeni Armed Forces confirmed that, with the support of the popular resistance, they were able to thwart a Houthi attack that lasted hours on the Al-Aqroud front, confirming that the attackers suffered losses.

Drones belonging to the Taiz axis targeted gatherings of the group’s members below the Al-Najd area in Al-Misrakh District, and another gathering in the Al-Saher area.

These confrontations come as an extension of the battles taking place on the Al Shaqab and Aqroud fronts, especially in the areas of Sanamat and Al Sarari, where the Yemeni army announced targeting Houthi positions and movements and forcing groups of the group's members to retreat, with support from military and drone aircraft.

On the Tur al-Baha front in Lahj Governorate, the Yemeni army announced that the Homeland Shield and Giants forces were able to control new sites and confront Houthi attacks and infiltration attempts.

Meanwhile, the official spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, announced the implementation of 1,211 targeting operations against Houthi sites, gatherings, reinforcements, vehicles, and sources of fire as part of Operation “Yemen Dawn.”

Al-Nazili explained that the operations, in which warplanes, drones, artillery, and rocket launchers were used, resulted, according to the announced military outcome, in the neutralization of about 387 of the group’s leaders and members, and the destruction and damage of 96 means, machinery, military vehicles, and a missile launching pad.

The group announced that sites under its control were subjected to air strikes in the districts of Maran, Sahar, Shada, and Al-Zahir in Saada Governorate.

The siege of Taiz exacerbates the crises

He pointed out that the operations included the Taiz and Marib fronts, in addition to the Tur Al-Baha front, stressing that the armed forces will continue to carry out their combat missions and take the necessary precautions to protect civilians and civilian objects.

On the humanitarian side, hospitals in the city of Taiz are facing the risk of stopping work as the fuel stock necessary to operate electrical generators approaches exhaustion, in a crisis that threatens the continuation of medical services, especially in dialysis departments, intensive care, and child incubators.

Health officials in the governorate warned that the remaining diesel stock in Al-Thawra General Hospital is only enough for 48 hours, threatening the shutdown of vital departments, including emergency, dialysis, intensive care, and the burn center.

According to health sector officials, about 40 percent of hospitals have stopped providing their services, while the operational efficiency of health facilities has declined by 50 percent, due to a shortage of fuel, medicines, and medical supplies.

The medical committee in Taiz warned of the continued deterioration of health conditions, noting that about 80 percent of health facilities have stopped working, amid a decline in the ability of the remaining facilities to receive patients and wounded.