Europe must help Mali against Islamist rebels: Germany

Europe must help restore security in Mali, hit by an Islamist insurgency in its north, and could lend support through military training to an African-led mission, Germany's Foreign Minister said on Tuesday.

Guido Westerwelle said after talks in Berlin with the U.N.'s envoy to the Sahel, Romano Prodi, he was extremely worried about the situation.

"From the north of Mali you need to cross only one international border and you are at the Mediterranean. If the north collapses, if terrorist training camps spring up and it becomes a haven for global terrorism, this won't just endanger Mali and North Africa, it will also threaten us in Europe."

"There will be support from Germany and Europe, it is not about fighting troops but support through the training of an African mission," he added.

Regional leaders and international organizations including the African Union met in Mali's capital Bamako last week to seek a response to the occupation of the north by al Qaeda-linked Islamists, but failed to resolve differences on how to tackle the growing security threat. (continue reading...)