Defence chiefs give green light to rapid reaction force

West African defence chiefs have pledged to create a 6,500-strong force, which can be deployed quickly to quell conflicts in the strife-prone region. Members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would contribute troops to be trained and put on standby, its Defence and Security Commission said in a statement on Friday after a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja. Military chiefs, who make up the ECOWAS Defence and Security Commission (EDSC), agreed that 1,500 troops would form the core of the operation and be known as the ECOWAS Task Force. Another 3,500 troops would provide a back-up brigade, with an extra 1,500 ready in reserve if needed. “The Task Force will have the capability to be deployed within 30 days while the brigade would have the capability not only to be deployed within 90 days but to be self-sustaining for 90 days,” the ECOWAS statement said. Civil wars have exploded around West Africa in recent years, spawning millions of refugees and leaving the region awash with weapons. There are currently four United Nations peacekeeping missions underway in West Africa - in Cote d’Ivoire, Western Sahara and the UN’s biggest missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone. However, officials at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations say African missions are crucial to complement their role and the African Union has urged the creation of regional brigades to respond to emergencies. ECOWAS defence chiefs did not specify when the new force would come into being. But they said a regional initiative was vital to avoid the difficulties and delays encountered deploying troops to previous trouble-spots like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire and to deal swiftly with “threats to peace and security in the region.” Regional logistic depots already up and running in Mali and Sierra Leone would be at the force’s disposal, the defence officials said, and the ECOWAS secretariat would work out additional funding and equipment to make the force effective. The international community have been financially supportive of other ECOWAS security initiatives. Some 1,200 West African soldiers are scheduled to hold a major military air, sea and land simulation exercise to enhance the peacekeeping capabilities of the ECOWAS in Benin next November with support from Britain, France and the US. The creation of the Task Force was prompted after difficulties encountered by ECOWAS force deployments in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire, said EDSC. ECOWAS, which groups together 15 West African countries, was founded in 1975 to promote economic integration.