Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, others to create new force to fight Boko Haram

Ghanaian President John Mahama on Friday said West African leaders would next week seek authority from the African Union to create a multi-national force to fight Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamist insurgents.

Any such force will represent the most robust international response yet to the militants who have killed thousands over the last year in their campaign for an Islamic caliphate.

The jihadists had also launched cross border attacks into Niger and Cameroon.

Mr. Mahama was speaking as Chairman of West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which has been accused of not doing enough to combat Boko Haram.

“Nigeria is taking military action and Cameroon is fighting Boko Haram."

“But I think we are increasingly getting to the point where probably a regional or a multinational force is coming into consideration’’, he said.

The comments came two days after a former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, urged Nigeria and the West African bloc to do more to contain Boko Haram before seeking international attention. ...PremiumTimes