Mali: Emergency meeting of the Chiefs of Staff in West Africa Saturday

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, West Africa will meet Saturday at an emergency session in Abidjan to discuss ongoing military operations against Islamists in Mali who occupy the north of the country, said Friday the community countries in the region.

Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will meet at an emergency session in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, to assess the status of the deployment of the International Mission Support Mali (Misma) under the command of Africa, said the statement from the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS).

The police chiefs of 15 member states and the commander of the Misma, a Nigerian, will also be present Saturday in Abidjan, the statement said.

ECOWAS countries have planned to send 3,300 soldiers to help Mali to retrieve the north of its territory occupied by the Islamists, but the troops dépoiement is slow, mainly because of unresolved issues of funding .


Chad, who is not a member of ECOWAS, has also pledged to send 2,000 troops to Mali.