Vowing to 'destroy terrorists,' France adopts words of war
With its talk of "destroying" enemies and confronting "jihadi terrorists", France has adopted a language of war for its intervention in Mali that few expected from Socialist President Francois Hollande.
French ground troops prepare to battle Islamists
The first troops from a multinational African intervention force were expected in Mali Wednesday as French soldiers drove out to face Islamist fighters in the north, in their first operation.
France faces tough, potentially long, fight in Mali
French forces intervening in Mali are facing a determined, experienced and well-armed foe and will not be able to quickly count on the backing of an organised African ground force.
Chastened US takes cautious view of Mali conflict
The United States has chosen to play a cautious supporting role to France's military action against Islamist fighters in Mali, after Washington's own attempt to build up the African nation's army backfired badly.
Mali crucible gives Hollande chance to forge new image
Francois Hollande's decision to order French forces into battle in Mali represents a watershed moment for a president derided by his critics as a compulsive ditherer.
France urges rapid deployment of force to Mali
France has asked the United Nations to "accelerate" implementation of a resolution that enables the deployment of an international force to Mali.
UN Security Council approves Mali intervention force
The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously approved sending an African-led military force to help reconquer northern Mali from Islamist militants.
UN sanctions Al-Qaeda linked Mali Islamists
The UN Security Council on Wednesday ordered sanctions against an Al-Qaeda linked Islamist group in a new sign of the tougher line being taken with militants who have taken over much of the Mali.
Mali groups reject Algeria, Burkina Faso mediation
A coalition of Malian political parties and a citizen's association based in the Islamist-occupied north on Sunday objected to Algeria and Burkina Faso's role in mediating their country's crisis.
Top Mali mediator to meet Islamists, Tuareg rebels
Chief regional mediator Blaise Compaore will meet Mali's Ansar Dine Islamists and Tuareg rebels together for the first time on Friday, amid calls for urgent dialogue to resolve the crisis in northern Mali.
African Union backs military intervention in Mali
The African Union has endorsed a plan for military intervention to regain control of Mali's desert north from Islamist rebels and restore the authority of the state.
Mali Islamists a threat to Europe: French minister
Islamist extremists occupying northern Mali pose a threat not just to the immediate region but to European security, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday.
Mali Islamist group under pressure to break with Al-Qaeda
Burkina Faso led efforts Sunday to persuade one of the armed Islamist groups controlling northern Mali to cut ties with Al-Qaeda as a west African military intervention looms to end the crisis.
Mali stability important to Europe: German minister
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Thursday that the stability of Mali was "important for Europe's security" during a visit to the divided west African country under Islamist control in the north.
Foreign jihadists pour into northern Mali
Hundreds of jihadist fighters poured into Mali over the weekend to support the Islamists who have controlled the north for seven months ahead of a threatened regional intervention.
North Mali residents say Islamists increasingly brutal
The Islamists who have seized control of Mali's desert north are growing increasingly brutal as they impose sharia on the region, even as they violate the strict Muslim law themselves, say fleeing residents.
EU to sanction Iran, Syria, help Mali reconquer its north
Europe's foreign ministers will sharply ramp up the pressure on Iran and Syria at talks Monday, while taking a "big step" in Africa by agreeing to assist Mali reconquer its north from rebels and Islamist extremists.
Women suffer behind veil of silence in Mali's north
It was just six months ago that Toula, a young woman from Gao in northeastern Mali, could swim and do her laundry in the nearby Niger River.
Cholera outbreak in northern Mali kills two
Two people have died and 26 others have been infected by an outbreak of cholera in the city of Gao, northern Mali, a region occupied by hardline Islamist groups.
Islamists smash Timbuktu relics, plant mines in north Mali
Islamist rebels smashed the entrance of a 15th-century Timbuktu mosque on Monday, while their Al-Qaeda allies in northern Mali cut off the key city of Gao by planting landmines all around it.