LAGOS, Oct. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- West Africa's regional grouping ECOWAS has formally decided to increase the size of its standby troops from 1,500 to 6,500 to check political and ethnic tensions within the sub-region.

    "The force comprises a rapid reaction component of 1,500 troopsthat could be deployed within thirty days and would enable the region to respond faster to the development of fresh crisis," the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said in a statement.

    Another 5,000 troops will constitute a reserve force, said the statement cited by Nigeria's newspaper The Guardian on Wednesday.

    The new contingent of troops, the statement said, will include infantry, artillery, engineering, transport, aviation, naval, medical, signal and military police units.

    The grouping's 15 member states have pledged to contribute all the 6,500 troops required for the standby force at its 10th Defense and Security Commission talks held last week in Accra, capital of Ghana, it said.

    ECOWAS will hold a donors' conference on November 22 in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, to raise funds, which will be utilized to equip the force to meet shortfalls in attaining the required standards for peacekeeping operations as required by the United Nations, it added.

    The 15-nation ECOWAS was established in 1975 to promote the economic integration, peace and stability of the sub-region. Enditem