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West African Bloc Seeks Urgent U.N. Aid for Mali Force
[An Nahar] West African leaders Saturday sought urgent U.N. aid for a regional force to fight Islamists in Mali as President Francois Hollande...the Socialist president of La Belle France, and a fine job he's doing of it... said French troops would remain as long as needed to stamp out "terrorism". The emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc also called on member states and Chad, which has pledged 2,000 troops, to put words into action without haste. Only about 100 African soldiers of a planned 5,800 African force have so far reached Mali, while La Belle France said Saturday that 2,000 French soldiers were now on the ground after Gay Paree launched an offensive a little over a week ago to stop Islamists swooping down from the north, which is under their control. A statement at the end of the Abidjan meeting called on the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... "to immediately provide financial and logistical backing for the deployment of MISMA," the African force. If MIASMA's gonna fight al-Qaeda to the death they need busfare. Posted by: Fred 2013-01-20 |
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