Mauritanian president calls on West African states to ally against jihadism

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani called on West African countries to come together in the face of jihadism, ahead of the country's presidential
vote.
   "The region must generate a common political will to be able to fight
against insecurity," Ghazouani told AFP on Friday, on the campaign trail ahead
of an election on June 29.
   "I am not one of those who think today that countries can face a threat
like terrorism individually."
   The 67-year-old former army chief and defense minister is tipped for a
second term as head of the country of 4.5 million that lies strategically
between north and sub-Saharan Africa.
   He told AFP that the "security situation in the sub-region is not at all
good" and has become "worse".