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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union defense ministers yesterday discussed plans to set up a military training mission in Mozambique in the coming months to help the government there take control of parts of the southern African country held by extremist rebels.

The U.N. World Food Program recently warned that the humanitarian crisis caused by the extremist insurgency in the north of Mozambique is rapidly spiraling, with more than 950,000 people in urgent need of food aid.

The French energy firm Total said late last month that it had halted all operations on itsUS$20 billion investment in a liquefied natural gas project in northern Mozambique due to the rebel offensive.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels that developments in the country are becoming “more and more an issue of concern.”

“The Mozambique government has been asking for help. We will try to send a training mission (like) the one we have in the Sahel in order to contain the security situation,” Borrell said. – AP.