Assembly/AU/Dec.644(XXIX) Page 5 (ECOWAS) for its continued efforts towards sustained peace and stability in Guinea Bissau; 14. ENCOURAGES all Liberian stakeholders to continue to work together to consolidate peace in their country, in particular through creating conditions conducive to the holding of peaceful, free and transparent elections, with the support of the region, through ECOWAS, and the international community as a whole; 15. STRONGLY CONDEMNS the mutiny in Cote D’Ivoire and REAFFIRMS the imperative for the defence and security forces to remain strictly subordinated to the civilian authorities; REITERATES its support to the Government of Côte d’Ivoire for its efforts aimed at consolidating reconciliation, which will enable the strengthening of peace and stability in the country, with a view to maintaining high economic growth for the benefit of the Ivorian people; 16. COMMENDS the new authorities in the Gambia and ECOWAS for their joint efforts to promote lasting peace, stability and socio-economic recovery in the country and ENCOURAGES them to continue on this path; REAFFIRMS the AU’s full support to the post-crisis stabilization, reconstruction and development process in the Gambia and INVITES those Member States, with means to second experts in SSR, justice and development, in line with the decision of the 694th meeting of the PSC; COMMENDS the Chairperson of the Commission for the dispatching of a High-Level Needs Assessment Mission in the Gambia; 17. URGES once again all the Malian parties to redouble their efforts to overcome the challenges facing the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, which is the only framework that can make it possible to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation in Mali in this regard, WELCOMES the progress made during the period, especially the establishment of the Interim Authorities and the convening of the National Accord Conference; REAFFIRMS its firm condemnation of the despicable terrorist attacks against the civilian populations, the Malian and international forces of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Mission for Stabilization in Mali (MINSUMA) and the Operation Barkhane; WELCOMES the timely initiative of the G5 Sahel, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad, which led to the establishment of the G5 Sahel Joint Force; FURTHER WELCOMES the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 2359 (2017) on the deployment of the G5 Joint Force and EXPRESSES its appreciation to the European Union (EU) for the financial support to the initiative of the G5 Sahel; REQUESTS the Commission to organise, as soon as possible, a meeting of the member countries of the Nouakchott Process to discuss their support to the G5 Sahel initiative, within the framework of the AU Strategy for the Sahel Region; 18. STRESSES that terrorism continues to be one of the greatest threats to peace, security, stability and development in the AU Member States and in the Regions