UN HAS NO BUSINESS IN MALI – ADMIRAL IBRAHIM

The chief of defence staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim yesterday in Abuja condemned the presence of the United Nations intervention force in strife-torn Mali after the Nigerian led African Intervention Fund has restored peace back to the country.

He made this assertion while speaking at the meeting held between the minister of state for defence, Erelu Olusola Obada and the head of African Union team to ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador (Prof) Ibrahim Gambari whose team was in the country on fact-finding mission over the preparation of the ECOWAS Standby Force for the African Command which is expected to fully take-off in 2015.

Ibrahim who noted that poverty was the greatest threat to the African Command disclosed that the Malian civil war exposed the unpreparedness of the ECOWAS Command due to poor funding but singled out Nigeria as the first country that quickly moved in shortly after the embarrassing French intervention. He argued that without adequate funding, the dream would not become a reality.

“In our own opinion, I don’t think UN has any business again in Mali after the peace had been restored, the Nigerian Force Commandant had facilitated a dialogue among the people and the situation has been stabilised. The crisis in Mali has shown us how unprepared some countries are especially in the area of fund. If we must have the African Intervention Fund, where is the fund? Who is bringing in the money? If you don’t have the money, no idea would work.”  

Source: Leadership