Community of Sahel–Saharan States

Community of Sahel–Saharan States[1]

تجمع دول الساحل والصحراء
Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens
Comunidade dos Estados Sahelo-Saarianos

Emblem of the Community of Sahel–Saharan States

Emblem

Founding members

Countries joining later

Headquarters|  Tripoli
Official languages|

* Arabic
* English
* French
* Portuguese

Type| Trade bloc
Membership| 25 member states
Leaders

• Executive Secretary

| Ado ELHADJI ABOU (acting)
Establishment

• Agreement signed

| 4 February 1998
Area

• Total

| 14,300,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi)
GDP (PPP)| estimate

• Total

| $1,350.7 billion (2014)[2]

• Per capita

| $1,363.8 (2014)[2]
Driving side| right (except Kenya)

Website
https://censad.int/en/

Template:Politics of the African Union

The Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN-SAD; تجمع دول الساحل والصحراء; Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens; Comunidade dos Estados Sahelo-Saarianos) aims to create a free trade area within a region of Africa.[1] There are questions with regard to whether its level of economic integration qualifies it under the enabling clause of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

The annual ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government convenes in different Member State capitals on a rotational basis. An extraordinary session may be called upon the request of any Member State.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Establishment
* 1.1 Executive Secretaries
* 2 2005 summit
* 3 2007 summit
* 4 2008 summit
* 5 2013 summit
* 6 CEN-SAD Games
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

## Establishment

CEN-SAD was established in February 1998 by six countries, but since then its membership has grown to 25. One of its main goals is to achieve economic unity through the implementation of the free movement of people and goods in order to make the area occupied by member states a free trade area. At the international level, CEN-SAD gained observer status at the UN General Assembly in 2001 and concluded association and cooperation accords with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and with UN specialized agencies and institutions such as UNDP, WHO, UNESCO, FAO, and the Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel.

All CEN-SAD member countries are also participating in other African economic unions, that have the aim to create a common African Economic Community. The envisioned Free Trade Area of CEN-SAD would be hard to practically implement, because it is overlapping with the envisioned customs unions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS/CEDEAO), ECCAS and COMESA and other trade blocs more advanced in their integration.

### Executive Secretaries

No. | Image  | Name  | Country  | Took office  | Left office

|
|
|
|
|

1  |  | Mohamed Al-Madani Al-Azhari[4] |  Libya  | 1998  | 2013
2  |

| Ibrahim Sani Abani  |  Niger  | 2013[5] | 2021
3  | 70px  | Brigi Rafini  |  Niger  | 2021[6] | 2023
4  | 70px  | Ado Elhadji Abou  |  Niger  | 2023[7] | Incumbent

## 2005 summit

At the summit of 1–2 June 2005 in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), the heads of state decided to create a "high authority for water, agriculture and seeds" in order to allow member countries to develop their agriculture through better control of water resources and seed selection. On the other hand, the summit to decide to study the construction of a railway line connecting Libya, Chad, Niger, with ramps to Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, to facilitate exchanges and to open up the CEN-SAD space. Blaise Compaoré, president of Burkina Faso, succeeded Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré as current president of CEN-SAD.

## 2007 summit

The African leaders sought to reconcile differences between neighbours Chad and Sudan over the Darfur conflict and boost Somalia's embattled Transitional Federal Government at a regional summit in Libya on 3 June 2007.[8]

## 2008 summit

The 10th Summit of Heads of State of the Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN-SAD) met on 28 June 2008 in Cotonou on 18 June. Its theme was Rural Development and Food Security in the CEN-SAD area. Beninese President Yayi Boni has been elected current President of CEN-SAD for a one-year term.[9]

## 2013 summit

In January 2013, the Community of Sahel–Saharan States will meet in N'Djamena, Chad. A commentator said "Morocco will likely continue its steps to take command of the organization".[10]

## CEN-SAD Games

| Parts of this organization (those related to pre-2010 deadlines) need to be updated. Please update this organization to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2010)

|

Beginning in 2009, CEN-SAD member states will take part in planned periodic international sporting and cultural festivals, known as the Community of Sahel–Saharan States Games (Jeux de la Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens).[11] The first CEN-SAD Games were held in Niamey, Niger from 4–14 February 2009. Thirteen nations competed in Under-20 sports (athletics, basketball, judo, football, handball, table tennis and traditional wrestling) and six fields of cultural competition (song, traditional creation and inspiration dancing, painting, sculpture and photography). The second CEN-SAD Games was scheduled to take place in the Chadian capitol of N'Djamena in February 2011.Cite error: Closing `</ref>` missing for `<ref>` tag | also member of SADC and COMESA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Djibouti | 2000– | also member of IGAD and COMESA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Egypt | 2001– | also member of COMESA, candidate to AMU/UMA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Eritrea | 1999– | also member of IGAD and COMESA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Gambia | 2000– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and WAMZ |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Ghana | 2005– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and WAMZ |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Guinea | 2007–[12] | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and WAMZ |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Guinea-Bissau | 2004– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and UEMOA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Ivory Coast | 2004– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and UEMOA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Libya | 1998– | also member of AMU/UMA and COMESA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Mali | 1998– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and UEMOA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Mauritania | 2007–[12] | also member of AMU/UMA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Morocco[13] | 2001– | also member of AMU/UMA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Niger | 1998– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and UEMOA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Nigeria | 2001– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and WAMZ |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Senegal | 2000– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and UEMOA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Sierra Leone | 2005– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and WAMZ |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Somalia | 2001– | also member of IGAD and COMESA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Sudan[14] | 1998– | also member of IGAD and COMESA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Togo | 2002– | also member of ECOWAS/CEDEAO and UEMOA |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:left" |  Tunisia | 2001– | also member of AMU/UMA and COMESA |- class="sortbottom" style="background:#CCF" ! colspan="2" scope="row" style="background:#CCF" | Total (25 members) | |}

## See also

* BSIC Group

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Staff writer (2024). "Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)". Brussels, Belgium: Union of International Associations. https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100039307.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "CEN-SAD – The Community of Sahel-Saharan States | United Nations Economic Commission for Africa". https://archive.uneca.org/oria/pages/cen-sad-community-sahel-saharan-states.
3. ↑ Union, African. "CEN SAD". https://au.int/en/recs/censad.
4. ↑ "Relations with the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) and draft agreement between UNESCO and this organization". 13 March 2003. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000129752.locale=en.
5. ↑ "Communiqué Final de la session extraordinaire de la Conférence des Chefs d'Etat et/ou de Gouvernement de la CEN-SAD à N'Djamena (Tchad), le 16 février 2013-African Union – Peace and Security Department" (in fr). https://www.peaceau.org/fr/article/final-communique-of-the-extraordinary-session-of-the-assembly-of-heads-of-state-and-or-government-of-the-cen-sad-in-n-djamena-chad-16-february-2013.
6. ↑ "CEN-SAD: l'ancien PM Brigi Rafini va remplacer Ibrahim Sani Abani au secrétariat exécutif" (in fr-fr). 12 December 2021. https://www.actuniger.com/politique/17748-cen-sad-l-ancien-pm-brigi-rafini-va-remplacer-ibrahim-sani-abani-au-secretariat-executif.html.
7. ↑ Atafa, Ahmadou (23 June 2023). "M. Ado Elhadj ABOU remplace Brigi RAFINI aux commandes du secrétariat exécutif de la CEN-SAD" (in fr-FR). https://airinfoagadez.com/2023/06/23/m-ado-elhadj-abou-remplace-brigi-rafini-aux-commandes-du-secretariat-executif-de-la-cen-sad/.
8. ↑ https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070603/wl_africa_afp/censadsummit;_ylt=A9G_RyW9HmNG7YMAMhhvaA8F
9. ↑ Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist. Bénin : Yayi Boni élu président en exercice de la CEN-SAD, Pana, 18 juin 2008
10. ↑ Nickels, Benjamin P. (3 January 2013). "Morocco's Engagement with the Sahel Community". SADA. http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/01/03/morocco-s-engagement-with-sahel-community/ez1k.
11. ↑ La première édition des Jeux de la CEN-SAD en février 2009 au Niger. APANEWS, 17 June 2008.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `NewMember2007`
13. ↑ Morocco: the area 446,550 km2 (172,410 sq mi) excludes all disputed territories, while 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi) includes the Moroccan-claimed and partially-controlled parts of Western Sahara (claimed as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic by the Polisario Front). Morocco also claims Ceuta and Melilla, making up about 22.8 km2 (8.8 sq mi) more claimed territory.
14. ↑ Membership of Sudan in CEN-SAD was formerly including South Sudan, but only before its independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011; after its independence, South Sudan did not join CEN-SAD, but joined EAC instead, while also choosing to remain in IGAD.

## External links

* Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
* CEN-SAD at the African Union website.

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