Sierra Leone Ready To Join Ivory Coast Intervention

Sierra Leone is prepared to contribute troops if regional governments decided to take military action to force Laurent Gbagbo from power in Ivory Coast, the defense minister said on Friday. "We have the capability to deploy between 100 and 120 soldiers if ECOWAS takes a decision on the issue," Defense Minister Paolo Conteh told a press briefing. "Our troops are more than competent to do justice to that cause. Our bilateral partners will come on board to support us in terms of funding." The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has threatened to use force to compel Gbagbo to stand down in favor of Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of a November presidential election. But with Ouattara holed up in a hotel in Abidjan, Gbagbo shown no sign that he is willing to accept defeat and there have been signs recently that the region's resolve to intervene militarily is weakening. The current manpower of Sierra Leone's army is 8,500, according to official figures. Any force would likely be dominated by Nigeria, the region's powerhouse.