Mali PM resigns after being arrested by troops

The previously unknown Sanogo launched a coup on March 22 to oust President Amadou Toumani Toure's government only six weeks before an election marking the end of his time in office.

The move came amid mounting anger by soldiers at their rout by Tuareg separatists, who were slowly making headway in a fresh rebellion to conquer the north and declare independence for a homeland which they call Azawad.

The coup only made it easier for the rebels and their Islamist allies to seize control of an area larger than France.

However the unlikely alliance between the secular separatists and Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists quickly crumbled and the Tuareg were driven out of key positions, leaving the vast arid zone in the hands of extremists.

West African nations are pressing hard for the United Nations Security Council to approve a French-backed plan for military intervention. Germany and the United States have offered training and logistical support.

Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Charles Koffi Diby urged the UN Security Council on Monday to approve "in the coming days" an international force to confront extremist groups in northern Mali.

Western powers fear the north could become a new sanctuary for terrorist groups.

European Union foreign ministers Monday approved plans to deploy an EU military training mission in Mali to help the government regain control of the north from the Islamist rebels.

But misgivings are rife over the plan to send in 3,300 west African troops. Many of Mali's neighbours still prefer a negotiated solution and both the UN and US have urged caution.

US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice last week argued that the west African troops would be ill-suited for the desert battle against groups such as Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its offshoot the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).

The US wants more details on the capabilities of the force to achieve its objective, the cost of the mission, logistical needs and plan to minimise impacts on civilian security and the humanitarian situation.

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