Pierre Buyoya pays a courtesy call to the newly appointed Malian Defence Minister, Mr Bah Ndao

BAMAKO, Mali, June 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Mr Pierre Buyoya, Head of the African Union (AU) Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL) paid a courtesy call to Mr Bah Ndao, Malian Minister of Defence and Veterans, appointed on 28 May 2014.

Mr Buyoya took this opportunity to congratulate the newly appointed Minister for the confidence placed in him by the Head of State and briefed him about the close collaboration that has always existed between the Ministry of Defence and MISAHEL. Indeed, MISAHEL works in the areas of Security Sector Reform (SSR), Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR), army reform and, especially, regional cooperation on security through the Nouakchott Process. On the latter, Mr Buyoya insisted on the importance for countries of the Sahel region to mutualise their effort, particularly security and intelligence services, to effectively tackle terrorism and transnational crime. The Head of MISAHEL further expressed the availability of the AU to continue supporting the Ministry of Defence in the above mentioned fields.

Mr Ndao said that the task is difficult but not impossible to surmount. “The situation is complex, but I am confident I will overcome the challenges with the support and assistance of the AU,” he concluded.