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West Africa Agrees on 3,300-Strong Force for Mali
[An Nahar] West African leaders at an emergency summit on Sunday agreed on a 3,300-strong force to wrest control of northern Mali from Islamist snuffies as fears grow over risks they pose to the region and beyond.
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Leaders from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States stressed that dialogue remained the preferred route to resolve the crisis in Mali's north, but said force might be necessary given the jihad boy threat there. African nations and the international community have expressed growing concern over a continued occupation of Mali's north since it could provide a safe haven to al-Qaeda-linked jihad boy groups and criminal gangs. "We foresee 3,300 soldiers for a timeframe of one year," Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara ...the current president-for-life of Ivory Coast. He actually beat his predecessor in an election before having to eject him from the presidential palazzo.... , the current ECOWAS chairman, told journalists after the summit. The troops would come primarily from ECOWAS, but possibly from countries outside the bloc as well, he said. Discussions also covered the possibility of training of 5,000 Malian troops, according to Ouattara. Ouattara said he hoped U.N. Security Council approval could come in late November or early December, allowing the force to be put in place days afterward. "We have countries that are offering battalions, others companies," he said. ECOWAS countries he named were Nigeria, Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... , Niger, Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and may be in the process of being chased out now... , Ghana and Togo. Posted by: Fred 2012-11-12 |
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