West Africa to seek UN mandate for action on Mali

DHAKA: West African nations will seek a UN Security Council mandate for military intervention in Mali where rising Islamist militancy has made the country an international security threat, Niger`s President Mahamadou Issoufou said on Monday.

`ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) has decided to refer to the Security Council with the objective of sending an armed force to Mali`, Issoufou told a news conference after meeting French President Francois Hollande in Paris, reports The Jerusalem Post.

`I asked for the support of France for the resolution we are preparing`, he said.

Mali, once regarded as a good example of African democracy, collapsed into chaos after soldiers toppled the president in March, leaving a power vacuum that enabled Tuareg rebels in the north to take control of nearly two-thirds of the country.

BDST: 2128 HRS, JUN 11, 2012
Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor