W. Africa leaders discuss region's security after UN Mali mission end

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Jul 2023 00:23
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Nigeria's new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu meets in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, with leaders from Niger, Guinea-Bissau, and Benin.

A British soldier of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), adjusts a UN flag on the roof of a light armored vehicle during a patrol in Menaka, Mali, on October 28, 2021 (AFP)

Several West African leaders met on Tuesday in Nigeria to discuss how to manage security at the end of a UN force mission in Mali and push for a return to civilian rule after a series of coups.

The UN Security Council last month voted to end a decade-old UN force mission in Mali after the ruling junta demanded the withdrawal of foreign forces.

Three members of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc -- Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea -- are run by juntas after five coups among them since 2020.

Nigeria's new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, elected this month as chair of ECOWAS, met in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday with leaders from Niger, Guinea-Bissau, and Benin.

Nigeria, Benin, and Guinea-Bissau formed a three-state commission backed by Niger looking for alternative security options after the UN's Mali withdrawal, including the possible involvement of ECOWAS member troops.

Representing the task force, Benin's President Patrice Talon will travel soon to the three junta-ruled nations to discuss security and their transition to civilian rule, Omar Alieu Touray, the ECOWAS commission president, told reporters in Abuja.

"The leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to expeditious transition to democracy in these countries," he said.

"With regards to security, the leaders have resolved to provide a robust response... The regional response shall include the operationalisation of the ECOWAS plan of action, with the region's own troop."

Last year, West African leaders agreed to create a regional security force to intervene against insurgencies and prevent coups. But details on how that force would work and its funding are still unclear with ECOWAS defence chiefs expected to make decisions later this year.

Facing anti-French sentiment, Paris last year was forced by Mali's junta to pull its troops out. Burkina Faso's military leaders this year asked French troops to leave.

Since 2012, Mali has been battling an insurgency that has since spread to Burkina Faso and Niger, killing and displacing thousands of people.