(Adnkronos) – Italy still has troops in Niger to help it fight trafficking, terrorism and control its territory and wants “a leading role” in the crucial Sahel country, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said ahead of a visit to Africa.
“Italy wants to play a leading role in Niger, which is such a crucial area of the Sahel region,” Tajani told the Rome-based Messaggero daily in an interview on Friday.
Italy has since 2018 had a bilateral support and training mission (MISIN) to Niger in which an average 500 soldiers are deployed to the country annually as well as 100 land vehicles and six planes.
“We are still in Niger. This is partly because human and arms trafficking passes through the (vast northern-central) Agadez region. The destination is often Libya, where Russia has a strong influence,” Tajani said.
Niger and other African countries are resource-rich despite the widespread poverty that afflicts the continent, Tajani underlined.
“Niger is rich in raw materials such as uranium. Africa is a rich continent, inhabited in many parts by poor populations,” he said.
Italy can aid the economic and social development of African countries due to its “know-how” and non-predatory partnerships, Tajani argued.
In a sign of Italy’s strong commitment to the Sahel, it wants to organise a meeting of countries from the key region including Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali in the next few months, said Tajani.
“This is to strengthen not only political relations but also economic and cooperation ties,” he said.
