Leaders to meet in emergency Mali summit
2013-01-14 07:39
Lagos - An emergency summit of leaders from west African
bloc Ecowas will meet in Abidjan on 19 January, Ivorian Minister for African
Integration Ally Coulibaly said on Sunday, as the region readies troops to
assist Mali in its fight against Islamists.
It was announced earlier in the day that the summit would
take place on Wednesday. No reason was given for the postponement.
"It's an extraordinary summit," Sunny Ugoh, spokesperson
for the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States, said on Sunday.
"This one is just dedicated to Mali."
Chiefs of defence staff from the region were also set to
meet in the coming days, but Ugoh did not yet have precise details.
The first troops promised by African nations were expected
in Mali on Sunday to join local forces who, backed by French air support, have
driven back an advance by Islamist fighters.
The UN Security Council has approved an African force of 3 300
soldiers to help Mali take back its north.
Islamists seized northern Mali, a territory the size of
France, in the wake of last year's 22 March coup which ousted democratically
elected president Amadou Toumani Toure.
The Islamists' advance has intensified fears over whether
the country could become a safe haven for al-Qaeda linked extremists who could
pose a threat to the region as well as Europe and beyond.
Some west African military personnel are already in Mali,
including a technical team from the Nigerian air force as well as the commander
of the planned African force, Nigerian Major General Shehu Usman Abdulkadir.
Largest commitment
Abdulkadir had previously been Nigeria's chief of army
standards and evaluation.
Nigeria, which has the largest military among Ecowas
members, is planning to send 600 troops as part of the force, said army spokesperson
Brigadier General Bola Koleoso. That figure was the largest commitment made to
the force so far.
Koleoso however could not say when the troops would be
deployed.
On Sunday Benin pledged roughly 300 troops while Togo said
it would send 500. A day earlier, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal each pledged
500 soldiers for the force.
Ugoh said the aim was to assist some 5 000 Malian troops in
taking back the north of the country. Asked whether there would be continued
air support from France or some type of help from the United States, he said
the bloc has always said it would need logistical assistance.
"The terrorism side of it, that should of course
concern everybody," Ugoh said, also mentioning criminal gangs operating in
the area, posing problems for other countries in the region.
"The end goal is to take back the north and then flush
out those elements," he said. "It's not just about Mali. It's also
about us - the region and the international community."
While the UN Security Council has approved the African
force, it had not been expected to deploy before September. Plans were rapidly
being pushed forward after the Islamists sought to advance further south.
"If there is a fire in your neighbourhood, you don't
necessarily have to activate a fire control plan," Ugoh said. "You
respond to it based on what your instincts are."
