African leaders were working this evening to find thousands more troops for a peacekeeping force in Somalia, fearing failure to deploy in time could see the country return to anarchy.
As the presidents met on the second day of an African Union summit, after defusing a damaging row over Sudan that could have derailed their agenda, the European Union released €15 million to finance the peacekeeping operation.
About half the required 8,000 peacekeepers have been pledged for the force, essential to avoid a dangerous vacuum when Ethiopian troops leave Somalia within weeks after crushing Islamists who ruled much of the country for six months.
But more pledges were being received at the summit in response to urgent appeals and warnings that failure to act would return Somalia to chaos.
So far, Uganda, Nigeria and Malawi have promised soldiers and Kenyan Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju told reporters Ghana would now join. Benin was also expected to provide a substantial number of troops, he said.
A senior Algerian official said his country would provide about 12 transport planes. Delegates say Tanzania and Zambia are also considering contributions.
Some countries are reluctant to send forces to Somalia, one of the most dangerous places in the world, where warlords and their gunmen ruled unchecked during 15 years of anarchy.