Ghana agrees to send troops to Mali

Ghana says it will support ECOWAS in the contribution of troops to Mali.

An official of the Ghana Armed Forces said January 14, 2013, that the country will send about 120 troops to help the West African neighbour.

“We are set…about 120 troops will be sent,” Colonel Mbawine Atintande, Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces told CitiFM in an interview monitored by ghanabusinessnews.com.

Col. Atintande did not say when the troops will leave Ghana but indicated that it will be decided by ECOWAS.

Fellow African countries – Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso have all agreed to send soldiers to Mali where parts of the country has been taken over by Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda.

France has also begun airstrikes to fight the rebel groups in that country.

Britain has offered the use of its transport airplanes in order to help bring in soldiers into Mali, according to a statement released by Prime Minister David Cameron’s office, reports the BBC.

By Ekow Quandzie