ECOWAS: Mali is an African problem

A spokesman for the Economic Community of West African States said destabilization in Mali is more than a national problem. A military coup in April unseated the civilian administration in Bamako. Rebel military leaders expressed frustration with insecurity in the north, though foreign fighters and al-Qaida rebels have taken control over the northern part of the country. ECOWAS spokesman Aboudou Toure Cheaka told the BBC the situation was escalating to a regional issue. "All of Africa is in danger," he said. ECOWAS has said it could deploy a military force to Mali to help control the situation, though the BBC reports the regional bloc lacks the appropriate funds. A group of Malians displaced from the north of the country has formed a 400-member paramilitary force described as motivated by revenge. Malian Communications Minister Hamadoun Toure told the BBC that international support was needed to help bring security back to the country. "We don't have the numbers, we don't have the equipment, we don't have the training (to do it alone)," he said. A delegation from Burkina Faso met in July with rebel leaders in northern Mali to find a solution to the crisis. U.N. officials, however, said there was no meaningful dialogue between the central government and insurgent groups in the north.