Sudan is due to take part in the conference of the African Great Green Wall project of the Community of Sahel and Sahara States, scheduled to be held in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, in next April. The Minister of Environment and Urban Development, Hassan Hillal, said in a statement to SUNA that the the project aims to reduce the severity of desert encroachment on the African region - extending from Dakar in the west to Djibouti in the east where the largest part of the Green Wall will passes through Sudan. The minister pointed the great importance of the project to Sudan as would protect the Arabic gum belt, help the rehabilitation of natural forests and pastures and increases the area of green trees, beside its role in halting the Desert encroachment and minimize its effects. He said that Sudan has signed an agreement with the World Bank for financing the project in Sudan with the total fund of77 million dollars in addition to support of the European Union EU.