Magharebia

Officials from the defence, interior and foreign ministries of Mauritania and France met Monday (October 5th) in Nouakchott for a first-ever bilateral meeting on terrorism, illegal migration and weapons trafficking, AFP reported. The 2-day session will develop "bilateral security co-operation in a regional perspective", French Ambassador to Mauritania Michel Vandepporter said, noting that any future joint security initiative would include Mali and Niger. "We have long recognized that these three countries have been subject to threats carrying the seeds of instability," he added.