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Algeria to host conference on terror
By SAPA-AFP
Mar 15, 2010 - 9:38:15 AM

Algiers - Algeria is to host foreign ministers from the Sahara and Sahel on Tuesday for talks on fighting "a resurgence" in acts of terror, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Ministers from Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania and Niger are due to take part in the conference, the ministry said in a statement quoted by Algerian news agency APS.

In addition to sharing notes on "the prevailing situation in the region, in particular the resurgence of terrorist acts", the ministers are to look into "links to cross-border crime and smuggling of all kinds".

The foreign ministers will also consider broader peace, stability and security in the region with the aim of coming up with "bilateral and regional measures to route out the scourge" while helping to revive economic activity.

In recent years, Islamist groups claiming to be Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have become increasingly active in the region, putting pressure on security forces who have sometimes found themselves the target of attacks.

Foreign nationals have in recent months also been kidnapped or detained in Mali and Niger in incidents claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.