Mali welcomes ECOWAS intervention

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which has been trying to broker an end to the political crisis in Mali will secretly deploy regional troops to deal with Islamist militants following request by authorities in Bamako.

Mali’s defense minister says the country would welcome the creation of a logistics base and command post in Bamako, from where neighboring countries could launch a military intervention to take back Mali’s north from radical Islamists affiliated to al-Qaeda.

Yamoussa Camara said Saturday in Abidjan the notion that Mali didn’t want soldiers from the ECOWAS in Bamako was a “rumor.” He said Mali agreed “with the deployment of ECOWAS forces in Mali and all the structures that go with it.”

Mali has in the recent past, given mixed signals on whether it would accept a military intervention to take back the north which fell to al-Qaida-linked radicals. While the government has asked for military help, the country’s military had indicated that it would only accept an intervention if it was limited to the north.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.