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UN aims for Mali peacekeepers by July 1

April 15, 2013 15:20
An 11,000-strong UN peacekeeping force could take over military duties from France in Mali on July 1 if "major combat operations" have ended, according to a draft resolution obtained Monday. The Security Council could vote later this month on the resolution, which says there must first be a "cessation of major combat operations by international military forces" and "a significant reduction in the capacity of terrorist forces to pose a major threat," according to a copy obtained by AFP.

Fighting erupts after car bombing in Mali

April 3, 2013 11:47
Malian soldiers backed by French fighter jets battled Islamist rebels in Timbuktu on Sunday after insurgents used a car bomb as cover to infiltrate the northern desert town, sources said. The French-led offensive in Mali has pushed a mix of Islamists out of their northern strongholds and remote mountain bases but the militants have hit back with several suicide attacks and guerilla-style raids. At least one Malian soldier was killed and four injured in Sunday's fighting in the ancient Saharan trading hub 1,000 km (600 miles) north of the capital Bamako, according to a Mali gove

Ban says 11,200 peacekeepers needed for Mali

March 26, 2013 16:16
UN leader Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday that up to 11,200 troops could be needed for a peacekeeping mission in Mali but that a "parallel" military force would have to battle radical Islamists. Ban said in a report to the UN Security Council that the 11,200 troops would only be enough to cover main towns "assessed to be at highest risk." The UN leader added that there would be a "fundamental requirement for a parallel force" in Mali and possibly neighboring countries -- in a clear signal that France will have to maintain a strong military involvement in the conflict.

U.N. condemns Mali rights abuses, to step up monitoring

March 21, 2013 16:30
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations condemned human rights crimes committed in northern Mali by "rebels, terrorist groups and other organised transnational crime networks" and agreed to appoint an independent monitor for the West African country. The 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution brought by Gabon on behalf of African states without a vote on Thursday that also called for free and transparent elections in Mali, which is fighting an Islamist insurgency in the north.

UN creates expert mission to boost Mali rights

March 21, 2013 14:30
The United Nations will appoint an independent expert to investigate and help improve the human rights situation in war-torn Mali, the UN Human Rights Council decided Thursday. The 47 members of the UN's top human rights body approved the resolution presented by Gabon on behalf of the African group of nations by consensus, clearing the way for an expert to spend one year working to protect and promote human rights in Mali.

France appoints new envoy to conflict-torn Mali

March 21, 2013 09:16
France on Thursday appointed a new ambassador to Mali, the foreign ministry said, amid a French-backed military intervention against Islamist rebels in the west African nation. Gilles Huberson will replace Christian Rouyer, foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said, adding that it was in the framework of a routine reshuffle of French diplomatic posts in Africa.

URGENT ¥¥¥ France appoints new envoy to conflict-torn Mali

March 21, 2013 09:00
France on Thursday appointed a new ambassador to Mali, the foreign ministry said, amid a French-backed military intervention against Islamist rebels there. Gilles Huberson will replace Christian Rouyer, foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said. According to diplomatic sources in Mali, Rouyer reportedly fell out with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. cf/ach/lc

Al-Qaeda says French hostage killed in Mali

March 19, 2013 22:16
A French hostage has been executed in Mali, a man claiming to be a spokesman for Al-Qaeda in North Africa told Mauritania's ANI news agency late Tuesday. A French foreign office spokesman said Paris was trying to verify the report of the killing of Philippe Verdon, who was kidnapped in November 2011, adding that "we don't know at the moment" whether it was reliable.

French army says 15 Islamists killed in Mali

March 19, 2013 10:16
Fifteen Islamist fighters have been killed in recent days in the northern Mali region of Gao, the French army said Tuesday, announcing the seizure of a large cache of arms and ammunition. The claim came two weeks after France said more than 150 Islamist rebels had been killed since the middle of February in Mali. French losses in the intervention have been limited to five casualties. The French soldiers came under sporadic heavy- and medium-range fire in the area of Djebok, east of Gao, the joint staff said, adding that they "neutralised 15 terrorists" since Thursday.

French jihadi detained after return from Mali: sources

March 19, 2013 07:01
A French jihadist arrested earlier this month in Mali returned to France on Tuesday and was immediately detained, judicial and informed sources said Tuesday. The 37-year-old is among six men captured at the start of this month during fighting between French-led troops and Islamist rebels in the Ifoghas mountains in northern Mali. Informed sources said the man was being held in a counter-espionage detention centre near Paris and being probed for "associating with criminals and links to a terrorist organisation."
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