ECOWAS agrees troop deployment details

Countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) contributing troops to safeguard the troubled borders between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have agreed to deploy an advance guard before the end of January, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Sunday. PANA said the agreement came at a meeting on Friday and Saturday in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. It was attended by ECOWAS’ chairman, President Alpha Konare of Mali, and senior military officers from contributing countries (Niger, Senegal, Mali and Nigeria). The meeting also decided that the rest of the troops would be deployed within one month of the departure of the advance guard. With the exception of Niger, contributing countries are required to take care of their troops for the first 90 days of the operation. Subsequently ECOWAS is expected to take over responsibility for the upkeep of the 1,676 soldiers. The ECOWAS Defence and Security Commission, comprising 10 member countries, decided on 28 December 2000 to send troops to safeguard the borders of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia following cross-border raids by armed groups that led to scores of deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of refugees camped inside Guinea. Fresh attacks were reported on Saturday near the Guinean border town of Guekedou and further south near the town of Macenta, according to the BBC. Seven Guineans died in the two attacks, the BBC said.