AU Backs Plan For West African Task Force To Tackle Boko Haram

The African Union has backed plans for a West African task force of seven thousand, five hundred troops to fight Boko Haram militants.

Chairperson of AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the threat posed by the terrorist group required a collective, effective and decisive response.

Speaking after AU talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Dlamini-Zuma said the Multinational Joint Task Force would have an initial mandate of one year.

Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic have agreed to contribute troops to the task force.