Sahel-Saharan states sign security charter

A security charter aimed at preserving peace on both sides of the Sahara and rejecting force as a means of solving regional conflicts was signed on Saturday by the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (COMESSA). The 11 signatories included Djibouti, The Gambia and Senegal, which were admitted to the subregional body at a summit in Ndjamena, Chad, on 3-5 February. Other COMESSA members are Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Libya, Niger, Mali and Sudan. AFP reported that COMESSA, founded at Libya's initiative in February 1998, is designed to promote economic, political and cultural integration within the region. "We should think about creating a United States of Africa," Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi told the summit. The political unification of Africa was first proposed some 40 years ago by Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah. COMESSA'S permanent headquarters will be in Bamako, Mali, while its next summit will be in Khartoum. PANA reported that the conference also decided to hold ministerial sessions on various sectors, particularly energy, rural development, youth and culture, defence, transport and communications.