COTONOU, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Beninese President Patrice Talon is set to attend a meeting Thursday on financial security held by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) high-level committee, said the presidency.
The meeting is part of a review of the security situation in the UEMOA's community which comprises eight countries -- Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, said the presidency.
In recent years, UEMOA countries have been plagued by terrorist acts, especially in countries such as Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
Besides, religious extremism, maritime piracy, money laundering, health and environmental disasters, drug, arm and human trafficking are among matters of serious concern, which constitute a major risk for the life and property safety in the region.
Established on Jan. 10, 1994 in Dakar, Senegal, the UEMOA is designed to create an integrated and harmonious border-free economic space for countries using the CFA franc -- a currency used in 14 West and Central African nations -- as a common currency.
