UAE backing counterterrorism operations in African Sahel

Ahmed Adel

The United Arab Emirates offers support to countries fighting terrorism, including Sahel and Sahara countries.

The region has been witnessing a surge in terrorist activities, including against civilians and security forces.

Counterterrorism support

The UAE Ministry of Defense announced recently that it would operate flights to offer logistical support to international counterterrorism efforts led by France in the Sahel region.

These efforts, it said, aim at bringing security and stability back to the region.

Joint Operations Commander Saleh Mohamed al-Amri said support by the UAE in this regard would boost security in the Sahel region.

The French ambassador in the UAE recently thanked the Arab country for its contributions to the international fight against terrorism in the region.

The UAE will specify some of the flights it will operate to the region to humanitarian aid, thanks to its vast expertise in this field on the regional and international scenes.

However, counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region raise questions on the challenges they might face in the coming period.

A lot of hope is being pinned on these operations to put an end to the danger lurking in the region and to eradicate terrorist groups active in it.

This is why the operations are getting strong international support, including from Saudi Arabia which announced a donation of 100 million Euros and the UAE which donated 30 million Euros.

The European Union said it would donate 50 million Euros to the operations and the United States 60 million Euros, whereas France said it would contribute 8 million Euros to the same operations.