Nigeria’s delegation, led by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had met with other African government officials to press for their commitment to the multinational force. Ashiru informed a delegation of African and British government officials that the crisis is Mali should not to be seen just as a regional problem but with likely consequences outside the sub region if it was not controlled.
”Interestingly, nearly all the countries we have had meetings with on the sidelines of this AU Summit, have all been very forthcoming. They are all supportive of the leadership that Nigeria has shown. They are supportive of our efforts in Mali, they are supportive of what ECOWAS is doing to quickly assemble immediate force,” he said. Ashiru went on: “countries such as Chad, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Africa have all expressed determination to also contribute troops to the campaign going on in Mali.