French president warns of the "risk of concentration of terrorist groups" in northern Mali

Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou on his first official visit in France on Monday (June 11) said the situation in Mali required a military intervention supported by the International community.             

Mali's March 22 coup precipitated the fall of the north to a mix of secular and Islamists rebels, who now control a desert region the size of France at the heart of the Sahara.                     

French President Francois Hollande said at a news conference following his meeting with Issoufou that France would support Niger in its requests to the Security Council.                 

"We have, with the President Issoufou, set what the principles should be to eradicate the terrorism that has settled. The first principle is that the African people have to go to the Security Council themselves if they think this is the way to find a solution. And we will support all the initiatives that the CEDEAO (ECOWAS - The Economic Community of West African States) and the African Union will take to ask the Security Council to set up the rules," he said.                  

The rebel take-over has emboldened al Qaeda's North Africa wing, AQIM, as well as other foreign militants, including Nigerian militants from Boko Haram. But the coup has also meant donors, led by the United States and the EU, have suspended non-humanitarian assistance in Mali, which was at the heart of efforts to tackle the influence of fighters linked to al Qaeda and organised crime.                      

Niger's President said the situation there is an international one that needed an international answer, calling for support by France and U.S. "It is an international threat that requires an international answer. This is why, with the CEDEAO, we decided to submit this question to the Security Council so that the solutions can be found, including a military intervention that the CEDEAO is ready to set up but with a logistical support from some powers of the international community, France, United States and other powers," Issoufou said during the news conference.                             

Western nations see Niger, Mauritania and Algeria as key players in improving regional security. West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS says a force is on standby but it is expected to seek a United Nations mandate at the Security Council before moving.

AP