Pierre Buyoya, the African Union (AU)’s special envoy to Mali, has said that plans for a new African counter-terrorism force should be completed by July. The force will support vulnerable UN peacekeepers in Mali, where militants have become more active despite collaborative efforts to counter them. In 2014,a number of West African states agreed to create a combined mission, but regional rivalries for influence and difficulties in harmonising this force with other security initiatives have hampered progress. The countries involved are Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Chad and Mali. Speaking about the new force, Buyoya commented: “This terrorist threat is threatening not only Mali, but also the whole region. Northern Mali has become a base to attack Burkina Faso, to attack Chad, and maybe tomorrow other countries.”
Pierre Buyoya, the African Union (AU)’s special envoy to Mali, has said that plans for a new African counter-terrorism force should be completed by July. The force will support vulnerable UN peacekeepers in Mali, where militants have become more active despite collaborative efforts to counter them. In 2014,a number of West African states agreed to create a combined mission, but regional rivalries for influence and difficulties in harmonising this force with other security initiatives have hampered progress. The countries involved are Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast and Mali. Speaking about the new force, Buyoya commented: “This terrorist threat is threatening not only Mali, but also the whole region. Northern Mali has become a base to attack Burkina Faso, to attack Ivory Coast, and maybe tomorrow other countries.”