African Peace Force Faces Problems

A U.S. proposal to back an all-African rapid response force has been well received by African leaders. But the only such force on the continent already has failed in its first, lengthy deployment.

Some 8,000 peacekeepers from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Mali have been trying in vain to keep peace in Liberia since the civil war began in 1990. Leaders acknowledge they’ve been mismanaged and underfunded.