Agreement reached on regional security

Six West African nations have agreed to ensure that criminal gangs will not use their territories as rear bases, and vowed to combat transnational insecurity, media organizations reported. Thursday’s meeting in the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, came in the wake of the Ivorian government’s allegation that foreign nationals participated in the failed coup of 7 January. Security ministers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Togo also agreed to guarantee the protection of each other’s citizens living in their countries, the state-owned Ivorian daily ‘Fraternite-Matin’ reported. However, they demanded that foreigners respect the laws of their host countries. Controlling immigration and monitoring borders were also considered important crime-reducing factors. Burkina Faso, one of the countries suspected of involvement in the coup bid, was represented by Security Minister Djibril Bassole who told the BBC his country was not involved in the attempt. He said he knew of no armed group that was “organized in Burkina Faso to attack Cote d’Ivoire”, adding that all measures would be taken to protect Burkinabe living in Cote d’Ivoire. His Ivorian counterpart, Emile Boga Doudou, said trust had been restored among the countries for “no state had any interest in serving as a rear base to destabilize another state”.