ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- African Union leaders meeting in Ethiopia said they are 4,000 troops short for an AU peacekeeping mission recommended for Somalia.
The summit in Addis Ababa Monday reached agreement 8,000 troops were needed, but so far, only Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda have pledged half that number, a BBC correspondent reported.
Rwanda and Tanzania are reportedly considering contributing, while South Africa has declined participation.
Neighboring Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia in December to boost loyal Somali troops in ousting an Islamic government that took control of the capital, Mogadishu, last June. Ethiopia has begun bringing its forces home.
AU commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare made a plea for more soldiers.
"If African troops are not in place quickly, then there will be chaos," Konare said.
Prior to the Islamists seizing control, Somalia was in anarchy for almost 16 years, run largely by tribal warlords.
