EU supports deployment of West African troops to Mali
Women members of a self-defence militia calling itself the FLN (Front for the Liberation of the North) train in Sevare, about 600 kms (400 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako.
Image by: STAFF / REUTERS
Image by: STAFF / REUTERS
The European Union says it is concerned by the worsening security situation in Mali where al-Qaida's North Africa branch has seized control of the north of the country.
EU foreign ministers said Monday they would support the deployment of West African forces to Mali to help stabilize the situation.
Extremist Islamists have wrested control in northern Mali over a region the size of France and proclaimed an Islamic state. Last week, the EU decided to send an advisory team to neighboring Niger to train local security forces to combat terrorist and criminal networks.
The mission is part of an EU strategy aimed at preventing militants from seizing control of vast swathes of territory, allowing them to mount attacks against North African nations or against Europe.
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