Yahoo News.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — West African nations on Sunday agreed to send some 3,000 troops to help the country of Mali
wrest back control of its northern half, which was seized by
al-Qaida-linked fighters more than six months ago, according to an
official involved in the discussions, and a statement read on Nigerian
state television.
The decision
came late Sunday at the end of an emergency summit in Nigeria's capital
of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. They were
joined by military experts from the United Nations, Europe as well as
ministers from Algeria,
Mali's neighbor to the north which has previously been against the
military intervention. The plan needs final approval from the U.N.
Security Council before it can be carried out.
An
official involved in the negotiations said by telephone shortly after
the meeting that the nations in West Africa are now unanimous in their
decision to go forward with the military operation. He said that they
will attempt one more round of negotiations with representatives of the
Islamists controlling northern Mali, before moving ahead with the
intervention.
"We have agreed
that 3,300 troops will be sent from West Africa. In addition, around
5,000 Malian troops will also be involved. If there is no agreement in
the talks, we will move in," said the official who spoke on condition of
anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.
The
official said that the largest number of troops will come from Nigeria,
which has agreed to send 600 to 700 soldiers, he said. Niger
is expected to contribute around 500. And the remaining troops will
come from the other 13 nations in the 15-nation ECOWAS bloc. Air power,
he said, will be provided by either France or the United States.
