Sierra Leone commits troops to Ivory Coast

  1. Posted on Friday 21 January 2011 - 10:30
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Mohammed Kamara, AfricaNews repoter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    Sierra Leone's Armed Forces (RSLAF) confirmed they will soon deploy troops to Ivory Coast, a third country in the Mano River Union. A press release from the Joint Forces Command reads: "On the situation in Ivory Coast, the Commander of Joint Force disclosed that RSLAF is expected to deploy peacekeepers once the ECOWAS military force deployment is finalized during the Chiefs of Defense staff's meeting in Mali."
    soldiers
    The political deadlock in the West African nation of Ivory Coast have left the region divided on whether to remove Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo by force or continue with peaceful negotiations. Despite international pressure Gbagbo continues to maintain his grip on power after he was widely believed to have loose the Presidential election to opposition candidate Alhassan Oattara.

    ECOWAS announced this week that security chief’s in West Africa have agreed to contribute troops which will be deploy in Ivory Coast but Ghana and Liberia have categorically ruled out troops contribution.

    Military intervention

    In the past, Nigerian led ECOMOG peacekeeping troops have successfully removed military juntas in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone’s Former President Ahmed Tejan Kabba was almost overthrown twice by renegade soldiers but was later return to power by EOMOG military intervention forc but a military ‘strong man’ who was part of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) regime that were removed from power in 1997 told AfricaNews in an exclusive interview that, “the situation in Ivory Coast is quite different from Sierra Leone in 1997,” he said.

    The former military junta who spoke on condition of anonymity observed that military intervention would not be a good idea in Ivory Coast. “Our regime was less equipped, the army was divided and some Nigerian troops were already deployed here even before President Kabba was overthrown. On the one hand we had sanctions and embargo to take care of and at the same time a war to fight.” He said although they were successfully removed from power and they went to the bush, it was after 5 years later that the war ended.

    Who will fund it?

    Observers say it will take weeks if not months for contributing troops to be deployed in Ivory Coast. But it is still not clear which country will take the lead in funding the military intervention force. Former Nigerian Head of State Sani Abacha came under serious pressure back home for sending troops and using Nigerian tax payers Naira in Sierra Leone, a price which I am not sure ECOWAS chairman and Nigerian Head of Sate Goodluck Jonathan is willing to pay.

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