West African leaders discuss setting up anti-extremist force

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — West African leaders discussed setting up a force to combat extremists in the region and will send an observation mission to Gambia before elections, the regional economic body said Saturday.
The decisions were announced after about a dozen heads of state, including presidents from Ivory Coast, Niger and Mali, met in Dakar, Senegal, for the 49th session of the Economic Community of West African States.
“We must constantly reconcile the free movement of people an