Photo: RFI/Moussa Kaka Abuja — ECOWAS leaders are meeting in Abuja today to validate the harmonised concept of operations for the African-led International Mission in Mali to help that country recover parts of its north taken over by secessionists and terrorists.
Ministers of foreign affairs and defence, under the aegis of the Mediation and Security Council (MSC), had recommended its adoption by regional leaders after considering it during their preceding one-day meeting in Abuja on Friday, November 9, 2012.
The concept was developed by military experts from the region, the African Union, the UN, European Union and partners at a planning meeting held in Mali last week which proposed the enlargement of the size of the force from the original 3,300 troops proposed under the ECOWAS Mission in Mali (MICEMA) and the participation of other African countries.
It was subsequently considered at the November 5, 2012 extraordinary meeting of the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS)
Meanwhile, ECOWAS President, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, at the ECOWAS-MSC meeting on Friday, had said a combination of political dialogue with military pressure was being considered to end the activities of extremists in Mali.
He stated that the mafia and criminal practices of terrorist groups and the atrocities they commit required a strong mobilisation on behalf of Mali.
Nigeria's Foreign Minister of State II, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, said the African Union (AU), the UN's Security Council and the international community had recognised that the continued insecurity in the Sahel region portended a great danger to the Africa and the whole world if not properly checked.
"It is evidently clear that these outlaws lost all overtures made for dialogue and have gone wild by attacking historic and UN heritage sites, conscription of children into the militias, kidnappings, proliferation and illicit traffic in arms, drugs and human trafficking and the dispersal of armed groups across borders," Mohammed said.
"This clearly is an unacceptable scenario to the international community and we are ready to work together to bring peace to the region being confronted with challenges," the minister added.

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"I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR AFRICANS CHEERING FOR THE RIGHT TO DO THINGS BECAUSE IT IS RIGHT FOR AFRICAN DVELOPMENT AND WHAT IS HAPPENING IS NOT RIGHT FULL STOP!!". I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR AFRICANS SAY THEY ARE DOING SOEMTHING EBCAUSE THEY KNOWTHAT IT IS MORALLY SOUND AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE PROTAGONIST ARE COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!! "WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DO FOR THE RIGHT OF AFRICA ???? WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SAY WE ARE DOING THIS FOR OUR CHILDRENS SAKE AND NOT FOR WHITE CHILDREN IN EUROPE ????!!!!. "COME ON AFRICA!! START TO THINK ABOUT OUR CHILDREN AND WHAT WE WANT THEM TO LEARN!!!'. WHAT TYPES OF ATTRIBUTES DO WE WANT TO INSTILL IN OUR CHILDREN? WHAT TYPES OF MORALLS SHOULD THEY HAVE?? "WHEN EVER I HEAR AFRICANS BEING COACHED BY EUROPEANS I KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT DONE IN THE SPIRIT OF AFRICAN PEOPLE !!!. "WHY CANT AFRICA HAVE A CLOSED DOOR MEETING ALIENATING OUR FORMER DICATTORS AND COLONISERS???? "WHEN ARE WE ALLOWED TO SHUT THEM OUT OF OUR MEETINGS?? WHEN ARE WE GOING TO SIT DOWN AS MAN AN MAN AND MAKE DECISIONS LIKE BIG BIG MAN CAPABLE OF LEADINGA BEING HEAD OF THE FAMILY?????. THOSE PEOPLE IN THE DESERT ARE NO THREAT TO EUROPE OR ANY WORLD PEACE THAT IS FOR SURE !!!;THEY HAVE BEEN THERE FOR DECADES. DRONE STRIKES MURDERING INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE MORE PROVACOTIVE THAN THESE SO CALLED TERRORIST THAN ANY ONE ON THE PLANET. AFRICA MUST FIRST TAKE ITS BLINDFOLDS OFF!!! WE MUST STOP TRYING TO SPEAK LIKE EUROPEANS AND WHITE PEOPLE IN GENERAL. USING LANGAUGAE THAT IS EITHER SELF DEMEANING OR JUST PLAIN RUBBISH. "FIRST WE MUST UNITE AFRICA" ; BREAK UP THIS ARAB WORLD FANATICISM WHICH IS BEING HYPED BY FRANCE AND TH USA'. "THESE TWO NATIONS ARE SO DESPERATE FOR WORLD HEGEMONY THAT THEY MAKE LINKS WITH TERRORIST TO ACHIEVE ROTTEN AGENDAS WITH OUT LOOKING AT THE WIDER RAMIFICATIONS . "LIBYA STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB!!!!. ARABS WERE AND ARE STILL ORIGINAL BLACK SKINNED PEOPLE!!! THE MID EAST WAS JUST AS AFRICAN AS AFRICA TODAY ; 'THE SPLIT OF THE CONTINENT WAS DURING 'THE 1895 BERLIN CONFERNCE' THAT REVISED THE BORDERS PEOPLE AND THE PERSONALITIES OF AFRICA". THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BLACK RACE ON THE PLANET WAS PERPETARTED BY WHITES DURING THE SPANISH INQUISITION AFTER THE UNEQUALLED 700 YEAR RULE OF THE BLACK MOORS IN SPAIN"; AFTER THIER DEFEAT THE EUROPEANS HAD AN EXPULSION OF ALL THINGS BLACK AND AFRICAN ,THE TERM BLACK BECAME USED OFFENSIVLY BY THEM". "THIS WAS WHEN THEY STARTED THE SLAVE TRADE , WHITE AND MIXED RACED PEOPLE OF ISLAM WHO WERE DEPORTED TO AFRICA . WITH THE EXPULSIION OF OVER 2 MILLION OR SO MIXED RACE, WHITE ISLAMIST FROM EUROPE THEY BEGAN THIER PROPOGANDA CAMPAIGN OF COLOUR BIGGOTRY RACE HATE UNDER THE GUISE OF RELIGION; IT WAS THIER LINE THAT ANY PERSON OF COLOUR WHO ATYED IN EUROEP HAD TO ACCEPT CATHOLICISM IF NOT BE DEPORTED.!!!!!..THE COLOUR PROPOGANDA BEGAN RIGHT AT THIS TIME, THEY THEN EMBARKED UPON THE SLAVE TRADE NEOCOLINAILSIM BEGAN; THEY USED THE WHITE ISALMIST TO DESTROY AND CAPTURE BLACK CITIES TOWNS COMMUNITIES. THE BROWN SKINNED OF THE RACE WAS LEFT UNSCATHED THSIW AS WHEN THEY TOOK CONTRROL OF ISALM REWRITING THE LAWS SPEAKING ABOUT SLAVERY AS IF THIS WAS SPOKENM ABOUT BY 'THE PROPHET MUHAMAD PEACE BE UPON HIM". THIS WAS WHERE THE FALACIES BEGAN THE MISLEADING THE MISDIRECTING THE LIES THE PERPETRATION OF FRAUDS THAT HAS BEEN LEFT UNTILL THESE TIMES. "WE MUST KNOW THESE FACTS BEFORE WE DO THINGS IN AFRICA"; WHAT WE HAVE NOTICED SINCE THE OVER THROW OF GBAGBO BY MILITARY COLONIALIST, MEANS AFRICA HAS REGRESSED... WHEN THEY DECIDED TO OVERTHROW THE RICHEST NATION IN AFRICA THE MOSDT INDEPENDENT NATION IN AFRICA THE MOPST SELF SUSTAINING NATION IN AFRICA MURDERING ITS MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LEADER';; ' THEY WAGED THE CAMPAIGN UNDER THE AUSPICES OF RACISM???? " DID AFRICA NOT SEE THIS??? WHEN WE HEARD THE LANGAUGE COMMING OUT OF THE NTC THEY WERE SOUNDING LIKE SOME EVANGELICAL RACIST DOWNSOUTH PECKERWODD WHITE BIGGOT!!!!!. I WAS EVEN PRIVY TO HEAR THEM MENTION THE WORD NIGGER ON ALJAZEERA!!! THEY WERE QUICKLY SCOLDED; BUT THE WORD WAS SPOKEN!!. "THE WEST USED DIVISIVE TACTICS TO UNDERMINE THE WORLD WITH FALSE FLAGS ABOUT BLACK MILITIAS COMMING FROM AFRICA MURDERING ARABS "";; THIS IS A MISLEADING SATEMENT; ' THIS SUGGEST THAT ONLY BROWN SKIN OR NEAR WHITE PEOPLE ARE ARABS????? VERY WRONG !!!" (IN ALL PERCEPTIONS FOR POSTERITY ,ARABS ARE BLACK FIRST AND FOREMOST""). "THEN THE WEST WENT TO THE GULF STATES WHERE THEY COLLECTED A GRROUP OF MONARCHS AND DICTATORS ABSOLOUTE RULERS WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT DEMOCARCY AND TOLD THE WORLD THESE ARE OUR NEW ARAB REVOLUTIONARIES ' "THEY ARE FIGHTING FOR THE ARAB SPRING"??????????????? "WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP STRAIGHT BULL SHIT TONS AND TONS OF IT !!! "YET WORLRD LEADERS BOUGHT IT, THE PROPOGANDA PRESS RAN WITH IT AND EVEN ARABS BOUGHT INTO IT"??? " THIS HAPPNED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST MONUMENTAl COUPS IN WHITE PROPOGANDA SINCE THE 3/5THS HUMAN SPEECH ABOUT THE FIRST AND ORIGINAL BLACK MAN"JUSTIFYING HIS ENSALVEMENT "... ARABS WHO WERE IDEOLOGICALLY FAR RIGHT JIHADIST THEN TOOK UP THIS NEW SPRING COPTED IT AS THIER OWN !!!."KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ORIGIANL SO CALLED ARAB SPRING WAS PEACEFULL IN ALL FACETS REKNOWNED FOR ITS OBJECTIONS TO ANY VIOLENCE ;;THEY EVEN OBJECTED TO ANY HATE SPEECHES!!!!!. "YES MY BROTERS;;; THE WEST STOLE AND HIJACKED THE MOMENT WITH VIOLENCE HATE AND THEY MADE DECISIONS THAT BIT THEM ON THIER ASS LATER ON. " WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN SYRIA IS THE CONTINUATION OF THIS ARAB SPRING' AMERICAN, NATO STYLE IT IS ALL ABOUT HEGEMONY!!!!. "YOU AS AFRICANS HAVE BEEN TRICKED INTO THIS WAR ON TERROR USING ALL THIER LANGAUGE WHICH IS DEFEATING WHEN YOU ALLOW FOR MORE WESTERN BOOTS ON THE AFRICAN GROUND AND YOU ALLOW FOR THE VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAWS THAT WE ARE ALL OBLIGED TO LIVE BY ,TO BE REWRITTEN AND BROKEN WITH IMPUNITY!! !! "THE WAR ON TERROR IS WESTERN DRIVEN WITH THE CONTIUED MURDERING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE WORLD WIDE ,CREATING MORE HAETRS THAN EVER". ' EVEN IN YEMEN THE PEOPLE REJECTED AL QAUEDA FULL STOP AND WERE REBELLING PEACEFULLY THE AMERICANS STUCK THIER OAR IN FIRSTTHEY KEPT THE DICTATOR IN POWER THEN THEY ARRANGED FOR A ELECTION WITH ONE CANDIDATE;;;;;; ALL THIS IS AMERICAN DEMOCRACY!!! TODAY WE ARE SEEING THE STEPPING UP OF MORE DRONES AND THE RADICALISNG OF MORE YEMENIS AGAIN. YOU MUST ASK YOURSELVES WHERE IS THIS WAR ON TERROR GOING??? AFGRICANS ARE WAR WEARY, YET THEY ARE DRAGGED INTO THIS AFFRAY BY AMERICANS FOR AMERICANS!!."THIS IS ABOUT THE MILITRAY INDURSTRIAL COMPLEX JUSTIFYING HTIER TRILLION DOLLAR SPENDING HABIT ITS ABOUT AMERICAN CORRUPTION ITS ABOUT LIES ITS ABOUT DEATH UNENDING; WE MUST THINK FOR SELF" " THE NEED TO STABILISE AFRICA IS MOST PROFOUND ,IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE BUILD SCHOOLS THAT ARE TEACHING PROPER EDUCATION, NOT TO LEARN ABOUT AMERICAN PRESIDENTS AND ABRAAHAM LINCOLN THAT IS NOT RELEVANT TO AFRICAN NEEDS??? ." WE NEED TO LEARN SCIENCE SO WE CAN FIGHT THESE DISEASAES THAT THEY IMPLANT IN AFRICA TO KEEP US DEPENDENT. "WHEN EVER WE START TO LOOK TOO INDEPENDENT THEY COME IN AND INJECT THINGS IN OUR WATERS THEY TRANSMIT DISEASES THAT WE HAVE NO ANSWERS TO; THEN THEY TAKE CONTROL WITH THIER NOGOS WHO ACT AS IF THEY ARE MORE SUPEIROR TO ANY AFRICAN.. THIS SOUNDS CONSPIRATROIAL BU I HAVE MET PEOPLE WHO WERE PART OF THIS CLANDESTINE ESPIONAGE ; THE TRUTH AT TIMESE SOND STARNGER THAN FICTION!!! "WE NEED TO FAST TRACK MORE EDUCATED PEOPLE INTO THE CIVIL SOCIETY WHERE WE CAN START EFFECTIVE BUSINESES THAT WILL TRAIN AND EMPL;OY MANY PEOPLE THAT WILL BECOME SUSTAINABLE FOR YEARS TO COME. I SAY TO AFRICA TO ADAPT THE GADAFFI MODEL WHERE SELF DETERMINATION WAS THE PRIORITY!!!!!!. I Have no doubt that there are useles durg dealers human trafficers enslavers racist white arab speaking people in that desert; MY SUGGESTION IS THAT YOU MUST NOT ISOLATE ANY OF THE MUSLIMS WHO ARE MUSLIMS ABND NEIHTER THE TAUREGS WHOM RAE SEEKING OFR BETTER IDENTIFIABLE CONDITIONS IN MALE WHICH CAUSED THEM TO REVOLT IN THE FIRTS PLACE!!!!! AFRICA MUST EMBRACE ALL ITS CHILDFREN AND ALL ITS PEOPLE WE ARE STILL ONE!!!! WE MUST NOT START TO SPEAK LIKE WESTERN RACIST WHO USE DIVISIVE LANGAUGES TO CONQUOR US !! IBN THESE TIMES WE ARE NTO WORKING FOR WHITE FUNDAMENTALS WE ARE NMTO THIER LACKEYS OR THIER PROXIES WE ARE DOING OR AFRICA WHAT IS RIGHT THIS AFRICAN LIBERATION MOVEMENMT THAT IS UPRIGHT AND RIGHTEOUSS IN ALL ITS LEANINGS. E HAVE NOT RACIST IDEOLOGIES WE HAVE NO CORRUPT IDEOLOGIES AND ONE THING FOR SURE WE VALUE LIFE ABOVE ALL!!! WE VALUES OUR CHILDREN OUR ELDERS OUR WOMAN THEY ARE THE SALT OF THE ARTH THE BLACK WOMAN WITHOUT HER HUMANIY WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED ITS JOURNEY> OS AS INTELLETUAS AND STUDENST FO BLACK HSITORY WE KNOW OUR CULTURES FROM OUR FIRST FATHERTS ADAAM AND EVE WHO WERE CREATED BY "THE MOST HOLY AND POWERFUL OF ALL ENTITIES". WE KNOW THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE CREATED WE WERE CREATDED PERFECT AS THE WORLD WAS CREATED PERFECTLY. IT WAS MAN WHO CHOSE TO WALK IMPERFECTLY.' SO IN THESE TIMES IT IS MAN WHO MUST MAKE THE RIGHT STEPS TO REGAIN THE PATH TO THAT PERFECT WAY. WARS DESTRUCTION AND CONFLICTS ARE NTO THE WY FORWARD IT DOES NOT MATETR HOW MANY NUCLEAR WEAPONS YOU HAVE THE FORCES OF NATURE CAN PUT TO REST ALL THOSE THAT FEEEL MIGHTY. WE SAW THE TSUNANI IN JAPAN DESTROYING THE ENTIRE WEST COAST FO JAPAN UDNERMINING THE NUCLEAR AND CREATING NUCLEAR DYSFUNCTION IN THE PACIFIC FOR DECADES TO COME. WE JUST WITNESED SANDY WHO DERVASTATED THE EAST COAST FO AMERICA THEY STILL CAN NT FIND LIGHT AND ENERYGY IN MANY STATES EVEN IN GREAT NEW YORK!!!. SO WEHNWE LOOK AT ;LI8FE WE KNWO THAT LIFE IS PROMISED OT NO ONE AND THER ARE NO GREAT ER NATIONS AHN ANYOTHER NATIONS WE ARE ALL EQUAL WHEN IT COEMS TO THE "ALLMIGHTUY GOD" HE IS THE LAST TESTIFYER OF ALL MATTERS ; IT IS HIS JUDEGMENT THAT ULTIMATELY MATTERS. SO NO MATTER HWO MANY WEAPONS YOU HAVE THAT CAN COMMITT THE MOST DESTRUCTION IST ALL IRELEVANT WHAT MATTERS IS WHO IS MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE AND WHO VALUES LIFE THE MOST!! WHO CARES FOR THE CREATION THAT BELONGS TO "ONE SOVERIEGN INDIVISIBLE ENTITIY" THAT IS "ABSOLOUTE AND MOST POWERFUL THAT CAN NOT BE QUESTIONED ".. WE AS MAN MUST ADMIT AND SIGHT THAT WE ARE LIMITED AND NO MAN IS GREATER THAN THE NEXT MAN'IT IS ALL ABOUT HUMILITY AND KNWOLEDGE, WE MUST GOVERN OURSELVES WITH TRUTH HONESTY RESPONSIBILITY INTEGRITY DISCIPLINE ETHCIS MORALITY NOBILITY RIGHTEOIUSNESS" THESE ARE THE THINSG WE MUST CLOAK ORUSELVES IN ADN WE WILL STAY ON THE RIGHT PATH". WARS ARE SOMETIMESE NECESSARY BUT WE MUST NOT MAKE A LIVING OUT OF WARS ,WE MUST NOT HAVE THIS AS WAYS OF LIFE. THESE PATHS ARE DANGEROUS ,CORRUPTING , LEADS TO IMMORALITY AND THE DESTRUCTION OF ONES SOUL!!!". AFRICA IS ON THE PATH OF RECONSTRUCTION AFETR THE DECIMATION BY EUROEPANS OVER THE PAST FIVE CENTURIES IT SI NO SECRECT THAT WE HAVE WORK TO DO' ; SO WE MUST ATTEND TO THAT . "WE MSUT NOT BECOME DECEIVED BY TRICKSTERS AND FOLLY OF THOUGHT IN ORDER TO GAIN PERSONAL WEALTH!!! AS WE KNOW AFRICA IS VERY WEALTHY AND WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE EDUCATED AND THEY ARE ABLE TO DECIDE HOW THEY WANT TO MANAGE THIER RESOURCES INSTEAD OF SELLING RAW RESOURCES BUT FINISHING ALL THE RAW MATERIAL TO REFINED ARTCILES THERFORE EXTEDNING THIER EARNING CAPACITY FIVE HUNDRFED FOLD !!!; WE KNOW THT AID IS AN DISABLER ONLY USED TO PROP UP GREEDY MEN WHO HAVE NOT THE NATIONS INETERST AT HEART"" AFRICANS ARE MUCH WIZER THEY WANT THIER GOVERNMENST TO BE RESPONSIBLE TRANSPARENT AND GOVERN BY HTIER WISHES'. WHENEVER THEY HEAR OF ASKING FOR AID THEY KNWO THAT THERE IS CORRUPTION AT HAND; THEY HAVE NO NEED FOR AID' THEIR ONLY OBJECTIVE IS STRONG ECONOMIC INCENTIVES THAT WILL DRIVE THIER ECONOMIES TO EVEN FURTHER SUSTAINABALITY. "WE WILL REMEMBER GADAFFIS LIBYA' WHO WAS THE MOST INDEPENDENT AND ONE OF THE ONLY FEW NATIONS ON THIS PLANET WHO DID NOT OWE THE INETRNATIONAL COMMUNITY ONE PENNY AND TO WHOM THEY COULD NOT BRIBE OR CORRUPT".HE WAS A BIGGER INETRNATIONAL LENDER THAN MOST NATIONS UP TILL HIS DEMISE THERE WAS OVER 135 BILLION DOLLARS IN WESTERN BAKS UNDER THE NAME OF THE LIBYAN PEOPLE NOT HJIS ONW.THERE WAS ALSO A TERMENDOUS CHACHE OF GOLD IN LIBYA NUMEROUS IN TONNES ; I HAVE NOT HEARD WORD OF THAT SINCE HIS DEATH EITHER????????? 'UNDER HIS STEWRADSHIP LIBYA WAS SELF CONTAINED, THEY IMPORTED VERY MINIMUMLY , THEY WERE MORE OF AN EXPORT DRIVEN ECONOMY' AND ANY FOOL WHO TELLS YOU DIFFERNT IS A LIAR OR JUST SIMPLY A DUNCE".. INDEPENDENCE IS OUR GERATEST GIFT DO NOT SWAP ONE FREE LIFE FOR ANOTHER DEPENDENT LIFE WITH MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW. ALWAYS KNOW THAT THE WEST CHARGES EVERY ONE FOR MILITTARY INTERVENIN AND THIER WEAPONS. THEY WILL SHOOT OFF THE MOST MISSILES SO THAT YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THEM, SO KEEP SHARP!!!!! IAM FOR THE SOVEREINTY OF ALL AFRICA AN ALL IST BRODERS!!!!!!!!!!!,.