MINUSMA soldiers patrol in Gani-Do, Mali, July 4, 2019. (File photo: AFP/VNA)

In a report sent to the Security Council, he said scaling up MINUSMA's uniformed personnel capacity would enhance the ability of the Mission to protect civilians in central Mali and create further space for the peace process in the North.

He said additional personnel were needed to respond to Islamist militants, many tied to al Qaeda and Islamic State, who have expanded their operations from their strongholds in the desert north into Mali's centre and neighbouring countries.

Guterres said the plan could only work in concert with stepped-up efforts by Malian authorities to bolster security and enhance governance.

The proposed increase of additional troops would take the authorised size of the mission to nearly 17,300 uniformed personnel, the largest since it was established in 2013.

The proposal comes as Malian forces increasingly pull back from the hotspots in the countryside where they have suffered steep losses and ceded control to the militants.