14 August 2009

Army commanders from four African nations began a two-day summit in Algeria, aimed at enhancing border security and containing terrorist actions.

WesternAfrica

Commanders-in-Chief from Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Niger are meeting a week after a suicide bomber wounded three people at the French Embassy in Mauritania.

Mauritania's interior ministry said the attacker was trained by Salafiste, a conservative Islamic movement, in camps scattered in the open desert between Mauritanian, Mali and Algeria, according to an AFP report.

Security experts and government officials from these nations agree that recent kidnappings, assassinations and suicide bombings are traceable to new terrorism training camps in the Trans-Sahel, where borders are obscure and laws are not enforced.

These camps are believed to be fuelling anti-Western attacks that often aim to raise money for groups with links to Al Qaeda.

This is not the first time these Saharan / Sahelian countries have attempted to coordinate their security policies. Their heads of state scheduled a security and peace summit at the beginning of the year in Bamako, but this was postponed.

The connection between terrorists and drug-trafficking networks is also a real threat that has forced authorities in these countries to act.

But counterterrorism experts say these African nations' militaries may be challenged by deficits in funding and communications technologies, especially in combat against technologically advanced groups deeply hidden in the hinterland.
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