ABIDJAN
Ivory Coast intends to send troops to join a regional fight against Nigerian-based Boko Haram militant group, the country's presidency has said.
"Ivory Coast will send military personnel" to join the military campaign against Boko Haram, the presidency said in a statement on Tuesday, quoting President Alassane Ouattara as saying during a meeting with a host of ambassadors in Abidjan.
"We will hold a joint summit between the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) in Accra on April 8 to support the Lake Chad basin countries in the war against the Nigerian armed group," the release added.
The release, however, did not provide details on the number of the troops to be deployed against Boko Haram or the date of their deployment.
Nigeria is fighting a six-year Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced over one million people from the northeastern region, where the militants have been the most ruthless.
In mid-2014, the group declared a self-styled "Islamic caliphate" in areas seized in the northeastern Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
Since January, Cameroonian, Chadian and Nigerien troops have joined the fight against Boko Haram, helping the Nigerian military recapture most of areas earlier seized by the militant group.
