{Mali’s foreign minister told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that an international force could help stabilise Libya and the entire Sahel region and check the threat from Islamist groups.}
Mali is among five countries that launched an appeal to the UN and the African Union for foreign intervention to fight Libyan armed groups and to help build stable institutions.
“The heads of state of Sahel countries have clearly called for the deployment of an international force to contain the terrorist threat,” Abdoulaye Diop told reporters after briefing the Security Council.
Northern Mali was overrun by Islamist groups in April 2012, many of whom were armed or trained in Libya, before France sent troops to drive them out.
With Libya engulfed in fighting between rival militias, there are fears that Mali and other countries in the region will be dragged into more violence.
“Anything that is happening in Libya has consequences not only in Mali but also in Sahel and beyond. This is where we see the connexion between Mali, ISIS, all the Shebabs and Boko Haram, and I can go down the list,” Diop said.
Daily Nation
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