Ivory Coast Chief of Staff General Souma

Ivory Coast Chief of Staff General Soumaila Bakayoko (L), Nigerian Chief of Staff General Oluseyi Petinrin (C) and Senegal's Chief of staff Paul Ndiaye arrive to a meeting with West African military chiefs in Abidjan on April 5, 2012 to discuss the possible deployment of a regional force to deal with the crisis in Mali after a band of low-ranking army officers toppled the Malian regime in Bamako on March 22. Mali's embattled junta leader Amadou Sanogo begged Western powers to intervene and stem the Islamist tide. AFP PHOTO / SIA KAMBOU (Photo credit should read SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images)