The Authority of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State and Government (HoSG) has condemned the recent suicide bombings and guerilla attacks in Mali by terrorists in the North of Mali, urging that necessary steps should be taken to neutralise them.
The Authority also renewed the mandate of the President of Côte d’Ivoire, Mr. Alassane Ouattara, as its chairman for another year, noting that he has demonstrated constant commitment to the regional body and its integration process and good management of the crises in Mali and Guinea Bissau.
Rising from its 42nd Ordinary Session in Abidjan, on Thursday, the Authority directed the allied forces to work hard at counter- insurgency operations to stops the attacks and apprehend their collaborators.
According to a copy of the final communiqué made available by the ECOWAS Commission at the end of the meeting, also lauded the government and people of Chad, some of whose soldiers were killed in Mali recently.
“Authority endorses the revised Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for AFISMA and urges both the political leadership and Commanders of the allied forces to ensure improved coordination among themselves for a harmonious and effective operation,” the communiqué read.
It also directed the ECOWAS Commission to ensure that the needs of AFISMA troops were met without delay, especially with regards to the deployment of troops and provision of additional logistics.
While directing AFISMA Commanders to urgently integrate the recently deployed Burundi troop into the ongoing operations, the communiqué harped on the necessity of AFISMA troops and allied forces to respect all human rights and international laws during their operation to avoid abuse.
“The summit reiterates its call on international humanitarian actors to continue to provide assistance to the affected populations. It directs the ECOWAS Commission, in collaboration with humanitarian partners, to monitor and coordinate the relief efforts to ensure effectiveness,” it added.
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