Morocco became Monday a full-fledged member of CEN-SAD

CEN-SAD was adopted by member states as official name of the grouping instead of COMESSA. CEN-SAD stand for the first letters in Arabic of the words Sahel and Sahara.

The CEN-SAD grouping now musters 16 nations namely the Central African Republic, Senegal, Zambia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Somalia.

The Moroccan Premier stressed "We are member to UMA and we will endeavor to revive this grouping."

The UMA was set up in Marrakesh in 1989 by Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Its mechanisms have been however paralyzed for years due to strained relations between member countries, and especially between Morocco and Algeria over Algiers' direct involvement in the Sahara issue.

The Prime Minister recalled that the UMA foreign ministers will hold shortly a meeting that will have a positive impact on the boosting of the Union.

Youssoufi further noted that the CEN-SAD summit helped Morocco regain its rank on the African scene.

Under its charter, CEN-SAD seeks the establishment of a global economic union, the promotion of exchanges and investments, the development of infrastructures, the harmonization of educational, scientific and pedagogical systems and the suppression of all restrictions hampering the free movement of people and goods among member states.