The head of Ivory Coast's army says the regional bloc representing nations in West Africa is considering military intervention in Mali.

Gen. Soumaila Bakayoko said late Friday, following a meeting with the head of the armed forces of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, that the group is considering mounting an operation. Mali has been destabilized by a new rebellion, launched this year by Tuareg separatists in the country's north.

Bakayoko says "we have emphasized the urgent need to take action."