The European Union said on Monday it would draw up plans for a possible military training mission to help Mali's army regain control of the Islamist-dominated north of the country.
Mali descended into chaos in March when soldiers toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled Tuareg rebels to seize two-thirds of the country. But Islamists, some allied with al Qaeda, have hijacked the revolt in the north.
"We believe there's a real risk for the region if Mali remains an ungoverned space, free for terrorists and drug traffickers to operate," said EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton. "I hope that what we'll see in the future is a Malian government with a credible roadmap for the restoration of democratic government."
Announcing humanitarian and other measures to help Mali, the bloc said it would in particular consider ways to retrain the Malian defense forces, and develop plans for an eventual military mission. The decision was taken at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, where they called for such a plan to be drawn up for their next meeting on November 19.
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