The United Nations today announced its support for continued political efforts to end unrest in the West African nation of Mali, but fell short of endorsing military intervention, disappointing some of the embattled country's neighbors who wanted the use of force to improve stability.

As Reuters reports, a large area in the north of the country is under the control of militants with ties to al Qaeda. This group assumed power after a military coup toppled Mali's president, creating a power vacuum first filled by rebel fighters from the native Tuareg people of northern Mali and then latched onto by the opportunistic militants, who have been administrating a reign of terror and destroying religious sites, including some in the historic cultural center of Timbuktu.

While the UN failed to endorse an armed intervention now, it did leave the door open for such a directive in the future, if other mediation efforts ultimately prove unsuccessful. However, it remains to be seen how much popular support there is among key UN military powers for another armed conflict in Africa.

 

Reach Executive Producer Matt Pressberg here.