NIGER: Chad's President Idriss Deby pays a visit to Chadian troops as they prepare for deployment to Mali

Record ID: 235928

  • Title: NIGER: Chad's President Idriss Deby pays a visit to Chadian troops as they prepare for deployment to Mali
  • Date: 25th January 2013
  • Summary: NIAMEY, NIGER (JANUARY 24, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHAD'S PRESIDENT IDRISS DEBY IN MILITARY FATIGUE TALKING TO SOLDIERS VARIOUS OF CHAD SOLDIERS CHEERING AND SINGING WAR SONGS VARIOUS OF DEBY ENCOURAGING SOLDIERS, GETTING INTO CAR VARIOUS OF TROOPS WITH ARMY VEHICLES
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Niger
  • Country: Niger
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABDPCYNO55SWFTHZPNH1SZ1RKC
  • Story Text: Chadian soldiers in Niamey, Niger received a surprise visitor on Thursday (January 24) when their president, Idriss Deby, arrived to encourage the troops ahead of their deployment to Mali.
    Around 800 soldiers from Chad are currently in Niger's capital awaiting deployment to neighbouring Mali, where French troops allied with forces from Mali and other African countries are working to push Islamist fighters out of Mali's north.
    Though most of the African troops for the Mali intervention are coming from member countries of the West African regional grouping ECOWAS, Chad has also pledged to eventually send a total of 2,000 of its troops, who are experienced in desert warfare. Burundi has also offered troops.
    Military experts say a fast deployment of the African ground force, expected to eventually number more than 5,000, is essential to sustain the momentum of the French operations in Mali.
    The operation will be high on the agenda of an African Union summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa this weekend.
    But there are questions over whether the African force has the arms, equipment and training needed for a sustained campaign in a desert and mountain battleground the size of Texas.
    International donors are due to meet in Addis Ababa on Jan. 29 to discuss the African military operation, and France said they would be asked for about 340 million euros ($452 million).
    For nearly two weeks, French aircraft have bombarded rebel positions, vehicles and stores in the centre and north of Mali as the ground force of African troops assembles to launch its U.N.-backed military intervention.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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