Mali News

France defends army's 'honour' after UN says Mali civilians killed

By AFP

Bamako - France's defence minister said she would not allow the honour of French forces to be "sullied" on Thursday, two days after the UN said a French strike killed 19 civilians in Mali.

In Mali, ICC prosecutor savours ruling to punish Timbuktu destruction

By AFP

Timbuktu - Wearing a green head-dress matching her African robes, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, visited Timbuktu on a mission to turn the page on a chapter of cultural desecration.

28 peacekeepers wounded in Mali attack: UN

By AFP

Bamako - Twenty-eight United Nations peacekeepers were wounded in an attack on their base in central Mali on Wednesday, a UN spokesperson said, in the latest violence to hit the Sahel state.

Suspected jihadists kill six Mali soldiers in twin attacks

By AFP

Bamako - Twin attacks on the army in central Mali overnight killed six soldiers while some 30 suspected jihadists were also left dead in response, the military said Sunday.

Three Ivorian UN peacekeepers killed in Mali attack

By AFP

Bamako - Three UN peacekeepers from Ivory Coast were killed in central Mali on Wednesday, the UN and Ivorian government said, in the latest violence to hit the war-torn Sahel state.

Niger museum is eclectic national 'mirror'

By AFP

Niamey - There can be few museums in the world to rival the National Museum of Niger.It has displays covering art, history, dinosaurs, nuclear energy, craftwork and music as well as live animals, for it is also a zoo.

After eight years of Mali campaign, France seeks exit strategy

By AFP

Paris - Eight years after France sent troops to Mali to prevent jihadists from overrunning the country, it faces tough choices over how to keep pursuing Islamist extremists without becoming bogged down in a potentially unwinnable war.

Bomb kills two French soldiers in Mali

By AFP

Paris - Two French soldiers died when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in northeastern Mali on Saturday, just days after three others were killed in similar fashion.

Bomb kills two French soldiers in Mali

By AFP

Paris - Two French soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in northeastern Mali on Saturday, just days after three others died in similar fashion.

Bomb kills two French soldiers in Mali

By AFP

Paris - Two French soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in northeastern Mali on Saturday, just days after three others died in similar fashion, the French presidency announced.

Mali lost in transition as army expands its role after coup

By AFP

Bamako - Hopes that soldiers behind Mali's coup would swiftly restore civilian rule and tackle jihadism and ethnic violence are fading fast as the army expands its role.

Sory Bamba: Malian music's forgotten great

By AFP

Mopti - Sory Bamba, a Malian music pioneer, spends his days ensconced in the courtyard of his home in the old quarter of Mopti, a town in the centre of the country on the edge of the Sahara.

French army says 30 jihadists killed in Mali

By AFP

Paris - Forces belonging to France's Barkhane mission in Mali killed around 30 jihadists in the centre of the country, the French army headquarters said on Friday.

French forces kill jihadist commander in Mali

By AFP

Paris - France announced Friday that its anti-jihadist force in Mali had killed the military commander of an Al-Qaeda-aligned group linked to attacks in the region, as well as around 30 militants in a separate operation.

Mali ex-president Amadou Toumani Toure dies aged 72

By AFP

Bamako - Mali's former president, Amadou Toumani Toure, who steered the Sahel nation to democracy and led it for a decade before being ousted in a coup, has died in Turkey aged 72, a family member and a doctor said on Tuesday.

Elite European anti-jihadist force takes first steps in Sahel

By AFP

Gao - Inside a military base in northern Mali, a concrete bollard emblazoned with French, Estonian and Swedish flags marks a zone reserved for a new anti-jihadist unit of elite European troops.

Mali trial over 2015 Bamako attacks opens

By AFP

Bamako - A Malian court opened proceedings Tuesday against alleged Islamists who are accused of killing over two dozen people in attacks targeting foreigners in 2015, in a rare terror trial in the Sahel state.

France, Mali at odds over dialogue with jihadists

By AFP

Bamako - France and Mali differed on Monday over whether to talk to jihadists to help end the Sahel state's eight-year-old insurgency, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian ruling the option out.

$1.7 bln pledged in aid to save Sahel from 'breaking point'

By AFP

Geneva - International donors agreed Tuesday to give $1.7 billion in humanitarian aid to the central Sahel, after the United Nations said the northern African region plagued by violence and climate change was at "breaking point".

French aid worker freed by captors returns home from Mali

By AFP

Paris - French aid worker Sophie Petronin was reunited with her family on home soil Friday, a day after being freed by insurgents in Mali who abducted the 75-year-old on Christmas eve nearly four years ago.

'Mama Sophie', kidnapped Frenchwoman who spent years feeding Malian children

By AFP

Bordeaux - Frenchwoman Sophie Petronin, freed in Mali on Thursday after a long kidnap ordeal, dedicated years of her life to running a charity for malnourished children in the conflict-ridden Sahel state."She handed out food supplies.

French, Italian captives freed with top politician in Mali

By AFP

Bamako - Mali announced Thursday the release of an elderly French aid worker, two Italian captives and a top Malian politician, all believed to have been held by jihadists.

Mali frees more jihadists, boosting hostage release scenario

By AFP

Bamako - A second batch of jihadists has been freed in Mali, sources said Tuesday, boosting speculation that a French charity worker and Malian politician held by the insurgents may be freed in a swap.

Mali frees over 100 jihadists seeking hostage swap

By AFP

Bamako - Insurgency-hit Mali freed over 100 alleged or convicted jihadists over the weekend in a bid to secure the release of a top politician and French charity worker, an official in charge of the negotiations told AFP on Monday.

Mali frees over 100 jihadists seeking hostage swap

By AFP

Bamako - Insurgency-hit Mali has freed over 100 alleged or convicted jihadists to secure the release of a top politician and a French charity worker, sources close to the talks said Monday.

UN calls on new Mali government to implement peace agreement

By AFP

New York - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week called on Mali's transitional government to maintain a 2015 peace agreement deemed critical for the country's stability.The appeal came in a report submitted to the Security Council.

Far from the capital, Malian Sufi leader wields clout

By AFP

Timbuktu - Cattle herders, traders and heads of state are among the people who have sought the ear of the sharif of Nioro, one of Mali's most influential men, to whom they voice their needs, grievances and hopes.

Mali's new interim leader stands by handover, international accords

By AFP

Bamako - Mali's interim president, Bah Ndaw, was sworn into office on Friday after last month's putsch, vowing to hand over power within 18 months, honour international accords and pursue the fight against jihadist insurgents.

Ex-defence minister appointed Mali's transition leader

By AFP

Bamako - Mali's military junta announced the leaders of a new transition government in the Sahel state on Monday, which will retain strong army links despite international pressure to appoint civilians after a coup.

West Africa leaders press Mali junta over transition

By AFP

Aburi - West African leaders met the head of Mali's military junta on Tuesday to press for the return to civilian rule nearly a month after rebel officers seized power in the fragile state.