UN adopts resolution on northern Mali

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution that gives West African nations 45 days to offer details of a plan for international military intervention in Mali, now split in two.

The text approved by the council on Friday also urges authorities in Bamako and representatives of Tuareg rebels and Islamist fighters controlling the north to "engage, as soon as possible, in a credible negotiation process".

The members warned that the process should be undertaken with a view towards "a sustainable political solution, mindful of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Mali".

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 fighters, some allied with al-Qaeda, have hijacked the revolt in the north.

The 15-nation council unanimously passed the French-drafted resolution in a bid to revive stalled attempts to deal with the crisis.

The resolution, drafted by France, requests that "detailed and actionable recommendations" be presented to the Security Council within the specified time.

It also calls on UN member states and regional and international organisations to provide "co-ordinated assistance, expertise, training and capacity-building support" to Mali's armed forces.

A second resolution by the 15-member Council would be required to authorise any action in Mali.

The text also urges Mali's authorities and the rebel groups controlling the north to begin a negotiation process and expresses alarm over the infiltration by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other extremist groups into the north.

Earlier this week, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic returned from Mali and warned that the Islamist militias had imposed a harsh version of Sharia law on the areas they controlled.

Simonovic said that he had heard testimony that forced marriage, forced prostitution, and rape were widespread, and that women were being sold as "wives" for less than $1,000.

They have also stoned to death an unwed couple and amputated the hand of an alleged thief as well as destroying ancient shrines in the historical city of Timbuktu, claiming they violated Sharia law and promoted idolatry among Muslims.

The UN has warned that the destruction of the shrines could amount to war crimes and the International Criminal Court has launched a preliminary inquiry into alleged atrocities.