Community of Sahel–Saharan States (CEN–SAD)
Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens
Member States
Founding members
Other members
- Central African Republic (1999)
- Eritrea (1999)
- Nigeria (1999)
- Djibouti (2000)
- Gambia (2000)
- Senegal (2000)
- Egypt (2001)
- Morocco (2001)
- Somalia (2001)
- Tunisia (2001)
- Benin (2002)
- Togo (2002)
- Côte D’Ivoire (2004)
- Ghana (2005)
- Sierra Leone (2005)
- Comoros (2007)
- Guinea (2007)
- Guinea Bissau (2007)
- Mauritania (2008)
Kenya (2005), Liberia (2004) and São Tomé and Principe (2005) and Cabo Verde (2009) did not sign the revised CEN–SAD Treaty in 2013 and are no longer members.
Headquarters
N’Djamena, Chad
Date of creation
4 February 1998
Objectives
The primary objective of the organisation is the establishment of a comprehensive economic union and elimination of all obstacles impeding the unity of its member states to promote economic, cultural, political, and social integration. The revised treaty emphasised two other areas of cooperation: regional security and sustainable development.
Timeline
1998 | Creation of the Community of Sahel Saharan States |
2000 | CEN-SAD becomes a regional economic community (REC) |
2019 | The headquarters moves from Tripoli, Libya, to N’Djamena, Chad |
Normative framework
1998 | Treaty establishing CEN-SAD |
2000 | CEN-SAD Charter on security |
2000 | Signing of protocol on relations between the African Economic Community (AEC) and the RECs |
2003 | Adoption of Niamey Declaration on Conflict Prevention and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes |
2004 | Protocol on Prevention Mechanism, Management, and Resolution of Conflicts |
2004 | Convention on Cooperation on Security Issues |
2009 | Declaration to reinforce cooperation in the field of anti-terrorism and security – adopted in 2016 |
2013 | Revision of the CEN-SAD Treaty to endorse the organisation’s restructuring and the revival of the Community |
Activities
Political dialogue
Date | Institutions | Agreement |
2001 | UN General Assembly | CEN-SAD gains observer status |
2005 | Liptako Gourma Authority | Signature of Memorandum of Understanding between LGA and CENSAD |
Governance and development
Areas | Date | Activities |
Election mission observation | 2018 | Deployment of observation mission for the presidential election in Mali |
Peace and security
Activity | Date | Description |
Multinational operation | 2001-2002 | Deployment in Central African Republic |
Multinational operation | 2013 | Payment of a financial contribution (€800,000) from the CEN-SAD acting secretary general to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) |
Prevention of violent extremism | 2016 | Proposition to create a regional counter-terrorism centre (based in Egypt) and draft protocol for future establishment and operation of the Permanent Peace and Security Council of CEN-SAD – Statement made by the ministers of defence. |