Security in the north, where armed groups still operated, has deterioratedSurveillance drones are to be used by the United Nations in Mali's volatile and vast northern desert region.
UN peacekeeping head Herve Ladsous told the UN Security Council they would help protect civilians and troops.
A 8,000-strong UN force is deployed to help stabilise the region after French and African troops ousted Islamist militants from the main towns in 2013.
