The African Union (AU) has backed a plan to send troops into Mali to clear the north of Islamist extremists.
It endorsed the decision by West Africa’s regional bloc Ecowas on Sunday to send 3,300 troops to help Mali’s government retake the region.
The plans will now go before the UN Security Council for approval before the end of the year.
Islamist groups and Tuareg rebels took control of the north after Mali’s president was overthrown in March.
The UN has warned that the Islamist militias are imposing a harsh version of Sharia law on the areas they control and that forced marriage, forced prostitution, and rape are becoming widespread.
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