The Presidential Council (PC) Head Mohamed Menfi and President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum have stressed the need to hold an emergency summit for the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, in one of the member states, next March, according to a statement by the PC.

The two leaders met on Saturday on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in its 35th regular session in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Menfi raised during the meeting the return of the executive secretariat of the assembly to its official HQ in Tripoli, in addition to the illegal immigration file, which the PC says "greatly drains Libya's security and economic resources."

"The meeting comes within the framework of coordinating positions between the two countries in the deliberations of the African Summit, especially the security and peace files," the PC said.

The Presidential Council emphasized the need for genuine international cooperation by humanitarian organizations and northern Mediterranean countries to curb the illegal immigration phenomenon.

It also highlighted the importance of creating projects and job opportunities with the support of the sub-Saharan countries and protecting the human and health rights of migrants.