West African leaders to meet on multi-national force to fight Boko Haram

It is believed that West African leaders will meet next week in order to create a regional task force to assist in tackling Boko Haram.

If the force manages to be implemented it will definitely be the strongest international response to the growing case of Boko Haram who have killed thousands in Nigeria and also tried attacks in Niger and Cameroon.

“Terrorism is like a cancer and if we don’t deal with it it will keep going. It threatens everybody in the sub region. When it comes to terrorism nobody is too far or too near,” Ghanian president, John Mahama said.

It will take months before an African Union force could be set up and key issues such as who would command it, the location of its headquarters and its financing remain undecided, he said.

Mahama was speaking as current chair 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 earlier.

“Today, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin are threatened and this situation means the international community must take appropriate action and can’t let this be,” he said.

France said last month it would help coordinate a regional task force against Boko Haram given signs of mistrust among West African neighbours.

Cameroon President Paul Biya this month appealed for military help against Boko Haram. On Friday, U.S. Ambassador Michael Stephen Hoza said Washington would help train Cameroon’s soldiers and offered equipment for the fight.