5 African countries form Sahel G5

Five presidents from Africa's Sahel region have agreed to create a regional institutional coordination platform dubbed "Sahel G5". The leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad agreed to form the platform at the end of their summit on Sunday in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. According to the final communique from the summit, the institution will begin its activities by "setting up a permanent secretariat charged with the responsibility of technical coordination." The five states reaffirmed their determination to preserve territorial integrity of member states and work together to guarantee security in the Sahel zone. The five presidents reaffirmed the priority of security and development in the region while reiterating their commitment to democracy, protection of human rights and promotion of good governance. The five leader also appealed to their technical and financial partners to support their actions to promote peace and prosperity in the region. The statement said Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was chosen as the chairman of the Conference of Presidents of the member states of Sahel G5, whose next summit will be held in Chad. Africa's Sahel region lies along the southern edge of the Sahara desert.