ATAR, Mauritania - Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Monday ruled out sending troops to Mali, where the embattled government has lost control of the north to Al-Qaeda-linked militias.
"There will be no Mauritanian military intervention in Mali," he said overnight at a local forum in the northern town of Atar marking the third anniversary of his rise to power.
"The problem there is very complex and we don't have the solution," he said, adding however that his country, which borders Mali, would take part in the international community's efforts to restore peace.
The entire northern half of Mali has been occupied since late March by rebels with links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which also has bases in Mauritania.
