Mali conflict may spread to neighbouring countries

The Malian armed conflict, under way since spring 2012, may spread to the neighbouring countries and radicalize the situation in the Western Sahara region. The point is made in a report by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a report that he has submitted to the UN Security Council.

The military operation that the French military, reinforced by African forces, has been conducting in Mali since January this year, has made it possible to drive the extremists out of cities in the north of the African country, but militants have now resorted to guerrilla warfare. This has made numerous countries feel concerned that the Islamists may now be hiding in the vast areas of Western Sahara.