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Nigeria to provide 2,000 more troops for UNAMSIL

    ABIDJAN

    Nigeria will contribute 2,000 more troops to UNAMSIL from those currently serving with ECOMOG, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Olukolade, ECOMOG's spokesman in Sierra Leone, told IRIN on Wednesday.

    "This will bring the number of Nigerian troops in UNAMSIL to more than four thousand" he said. The new contribution will include two infantry battalions and a tank company.

    He said that the troop increase to UNAMSIL was announced on Tuesday by the Nigerian army chief of staff, Major General Victor Malu, at the end of a two-day trip to Sierra Leone.

    Malu said that the additional Nigerian troop contribution was a
    demonstration of the country's commitment to peace in Sierra Leone and to ensure that the withdrawal of ECOMOG did not create a security vacuum.

    "The troops are here and available and are ready to be absorbed into UNAMSIL when needed," Olukolade said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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