West African leaders agree to deploy troops to Mali

The  President  of Ecowas Alassane Ouattara told reporters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, that the soldiers could be deployed as soon as the UN approved the military plan.According to a Malian army source quoted by Reuters, the plan covers a six-month period, with a preparatory phase for training and the establishment of bases in Mali's south, followed by combat operations in the north.The soldiers would be provided mainly by Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The UN has warned that the Islamist militias are imposing a harsh version of Sharia law on the areas they controlled and that forced marriage, forced prostitution, and rape are becoming widespread.