Nigeria withdrew troops from Mali for domestic security -ECOWAS

ECOWAS chairman, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire, said on Thursday that some of the Nigerian troops to Mali would be withdrawn to “because of the domestic situation in the country”.
Ouattara made this known in an interview with journalists at the end of the two-day 43rd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja.
“I received a letter from President Goodluck Jonathan that because of domestic situation in Nigeria part of the troops will be withdrawn.
“Nigeria needs some of its people but not all are being withdrawn,” he said.
Ouattara also said that elections would be held in Mali on the set dates and assured of the region’s support for the process.
“Mali is ready for elections; you do not have perfect elections because there are problems.
“Mali needs a legitimate government and they should have this election on July 28 for the first round and Aug. 11 for the second.
“By the end of August, we would have a democratically elected government, “ he said.
The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government also came up with decisions to tackle the recurrence of crises in the sub-region.
The decisions are contained in a communiqué read by the ECOWAS Commission President, Mr Kadre Ouedraogo.
The Authority of Heads of State and Government instructed the commission to expedite action on the review of peace and security in the region to prevent recurring crises situations.
The Authority noted that a review of the regional peace and security framework would also focus on preventive measures and “rapid military response capability.”
It commended the effort of the Malian government and people for the efforts to ensure a peaceful transition and  appealed to all political parties and candidates to ``demonstrate self-restraint, accept the outcome of the polls and resort to legal means if disputes arise”.
On Guinea Bissau, the Authority decided to extend the mandate of the ECOWAS Security Mission to Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) from May 17, 2013 till May 16 2014.
The 620-strong contingent drawn from Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Senegal would be expected to fulfil its mandate of facilitating the restoration of constitutional rule in the country.
The Authority urged the authorities of Guinea Bissau to ``adopt the most appropriate and efficient methods to ensure elections hold on the stipulated date of Nov. 24.
''The Authority also condemned the acts of terrorism and piracy that occurred in some member states and instructed the commission to expedite action on the implementation of the ECOWAS counter-terrorism strategy.
The Authority reiterated its commitment to combat challenges to maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea and resolved to adopt a 15-member commission and allocate statutory positions in accordance with the new structure of the commission.
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