TRIPOLI, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The headquarters of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) was officially reopened Saturday in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, years after its relocation outside the North African country.
Eleven foreign ministers from CEN-SAD member states attended the event. In his address, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah said the return of the CEN-SAD secretariat to Tripoli marks a strategic step toward strengthening regional economic integration, which will help address shared challenges, consolidate stability, and promote collective security across the African continent.
CEN-SAD, an African regional economic community and trade bloc, was established in Tripoli in 1998 with six founding members and has since expanded to 25 member states.
Its secretariat and activities were gradually relocated to N'Djamena, Chad, after a NATO-backed uprising in Libya put an end to the rule of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. ■
