US $2.9 million needed for border demarcation

The interior ministers of Mali and Mauritania said on Monday that an estimated two billion francs CFA (about US $ 2.9 million) would be needed to demarcate their common border, AFP reported, quoting an official source. Mauritania’s Dah ould Abdel Jelil and Mali’s Ousmane Sy told reporters that both countries were seeking financing for the border demarcation project, due to begin in 2001. They expressed overall satisfaction at the improved security situation along the border, where armed bands had been a constant danger to whole communities. They noted, however, the existence of “permanent” pockets of insecurity in the extreme north of their countries, near their borders with Algeria, where roaming armed bands of Tuareg still operate. The ministers also reviewed bilateral agreements on the seasonal movement of herders from Mauritania to Mali, including the expansion of authorised grazing zones for these herdsmen. The interior ministers of the two countries meet each year to review security matters.