John Kerry meets with French leaders to tackle the conflict Algiers – Hocine Bousalah The 42nd Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), taking place in Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire on Wednesday, will focus primarily on issues surrounding the Malian crisis. The announcement comes following a memorandum by the ECOWAS Commission, Foreign Ministry spokesman Amar Belani said.
A joint French and African force continues to battle Islamist militants groups in Mali, as armed groups try to hold on to northern regions first seized in a lightning operation in April 2012.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday: “We are now at the heart of the conflict.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry met with French President Francois Hollande and Defence Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris on Wednesday to discuss security arrangements in the war-ravaged African state.
Speaking in Mali on a congressional visit, Senator Christopher Coons, warned that France’s optimism could be misplaced, suggesting a more long-term military presence in Mali may be the only way to fend off a sustained insurgency.