OIC urges ceasefire

JEDDAH — The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, of which Mali is a member, called Tuesday for a ceasefire in the African country where French troops have intervened to battle Islamists.

OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the military offensive is “premature” and called for “an immediate ceasefire in Mali and for all parties to go back to the negotiations which were led by Burkina Faso” in December, in a statement.

Ihsanoglu, who “expressed his deep concern over the military escalation” also called for “maximum self-restraint from all parties at this critical time in order to reach a peaceful solution to this conflict,” the statement said. — AFP