France's first lady Valerie Trierweiler arrived in Mali late Wednesday for a tour of the war-torn nation described as "part of a mission for children and women". Upon arrival at Bamako airport the partner of President Francois Hollande said her presence was "a very good symbol" as her husband and the Malian leader attended a donors conference in Brussels Wednesday. At the Brussels meeting, international donors pledged a bigger than expected 3.25 billion euros to help the former French colony recover after Islamist rebels nearly overran the troubled country.

Mali interim President Dioncounda Traore said Tuesday he will do his utmost to ensure that national elections, a key goal of the troubled country's backers, take place as planned on July 28. "We will do everything so that the elections can begin on July 28,"Traore said, noting that he would not be a candidate. "Failure to hold the elections would cause even more problems," he added. jri/aje/bmm/mfp

German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere on a visit to Mali Monday stressed that it was up to the Malian army to ensure security in the nation, after French and African troops have driven Islamist rebels out of their northern strongholds. "There will only be a good development of the situation, in a lasting way, if the Malian military forces themselves ensure security," he said after meeting with Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore. During his visit De Maiziere met with German soldiers deployed to support French and African troops fighting the Islamist extremists.

Mali's interim president defended the country's rights record Tuesday against accusations by the United Nations that the military was guilty of atrocities against ethnic groups in the war-torn north. Dioncounda Traore, on a visit to the neighbouring west African state of Senegal, said reprisals highlighted by a UN mission to Mali were rare but vowed that those found guilty of abuses would be hunted down and prosecuted. "I am not aware of so many abuses," Traore told a media conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar, questioned about allegations against the Malian army.