USA Africa Dialogue Series - Troops To Reinforce UNOCI/ONUCI

Baba Mzuri Dr. Yaya Fanusie, COA letters to all ECOWAS countries, with the exception of Ghana, should cover every country, yes?

Two ECOWAS members, and a third outside ECOWAS, offer troops to reinforce UNOCI  

APA-Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire) The spokesman of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), Hamadoun Toure, said on Thursday that two member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), "have offered to send troops as part of strengthening the presence of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire."

Mr. Toure who was speaking at a press conference in Abidjan gave no details on these two countries. However, he added that a third country outside the ECOWAS area has also provided troops.

"Negotiations with the countries concerned are well advanced," he stressed.

The UN Security Council decided in late January to increase the strength of UNOCI with 2,000 additional peacekeepers to cope with rising tension that has gripped Cote d'Ivoire after the disputed 28 November presidential election.

500 peacekeepers of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) have seen on Wednesday their mandate extended to three months by the Security Council. These forces had been deployed in Ivory Coast for a few weeks during the presidential polls.

"The availability of these peacekeepers for a period of three months will increase our capacities in the tasks we are assigned under the peace process," concluded the UNOCI spokesperson.