Nigeria to withdraw part of its troops from Mali

After months of denial, Nigeria has officially announced the withdrawal of much of her 1200-strong contingent from peacekeeping operations in Mali, and Sudan to help a severely-depleted force back home confront the deadly insurgent group, Boko Haram.

ECOWAS Chairman, President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire, said on Thursday he had received a notification from President Goodluck Jonathan about the decision to send the troops home “because of the domestic situation in the country”.

“I received a letter from President Goodluck Jonathan that because of domestic situation in Nigeria part of the troops will be withdrawn,” Mr. Ouattara said on Thursday at the end of a two-day 43rd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja. “Nigeria needs some of its people but not all are being withdrawn.”