Members of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDDS) will meet at an emergency session in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday, 26th January 2013 to appraise the status of the on-going deployment of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA).
Last week, the Senate approved the deployment of 1,200 Nigerian troops to join French forces currently staging an onslaught against Islamist militia in Mali.
The emergency meeting, the second in 11 days, is in response to the 19th January 2013 extra-ordinary summit of regional Heads of State and Government towards an accelerated deployment of AFISMA, within the context of the UN Security Council Resolution 2085 of December 2012.
Personalities expected at the one-day meeting include Heads of Police in Member States, the Special Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the Force Commander and the Chief of Staff of AFISMA.
