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France working to 'quickly' withdraw Timbuktu forces: FM

February 4, 2013 05:00
France is working to "very quickly" withdraw its forces from Timbuktu, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday, without making clear if the troops would be sent further into the north of Mali. "We want to be rapidly relieved by the AFISMA African forces in the cities that we hold," Fabius told France Inter radio. In Timbuktu a withdrawal "could take place very quickly, we are working on it," he said.

February 3, 2013 16:30
Number three Islamist leader of Timbuktu said arrested near Algeria border sd/jhb/gd

Hollande gets hero's welcome in a Mali fearful of future

February 2, 2013 17:15
President Francois Hollande received a rapturous welcome in Mali on Saturday as he promised that France would stay as long as necessary to continue the fight against Islamist rebels in the country's north. As troops worked to secure Kidal, the last bastion of radicals who occupied the vast desert north for 10 months before the French army's surprise intervention, Hollande told Malians it was time for Africans to take the lead but that France would not abandon them.

Hollande visits Mali to push for African takeover

February 2, 2013 10:47
President Francois Hollande received a rapturous welcome Saturday as he visited Mali to push for African troops to take over a French-led offensive that drove back Islamist rebels from the country's desert north. The French leader's whirlwind tour came as troops worked to secure Kidal, the last bastion of radicals who seized control last year after a coup, raising fears that an area larger than France could become a safe haven for Al-Qaeda-linked fighters.

February 2, 2013 10:47
France's Hollande arrives in Timbuktu ha-thm/jhb/yad

URGENT ¥¥¥ France's Hollande arrives in Timbuktu

February 2, 2013 10:46
President Francois Hollande arrived Saturday in the fabled desert city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, where a French-led military campaign has driven back Islamist radicals occupying the region. Hollande, who is pushing for African troops to take over the military operation, is due to visit troops and tour the 700-year-old mud mosque of Djingareyber and the Ahmed Baba library, where Islamists burned priceless ancient manuscripts before fleeing the French-led advance. ha-thm/jhb/yad

Reuters World News Highlights 2200 GMT, Feb 1

February 1, 2013 18:15
ANKARA - A far-leftist suicide bomber killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, officials said, blowing open an entrance and sending debris flying through the air. - - - - BAMAKO/TIMBUKTU, Mali - Human rights groups said on Friday a French-led offensive against Islamists in Mali had led to civilian deaths in airstrikes and ethnic reprisals by Malian troops, a day before President Francois Hollande was due to visit the country. - - - -

Paris offers to help restore precious Timbuktu documents

February 1, 2013 16:45
France's national library said Friday it was prepared to lead an international effort to save centuries-old manuscripts feared destroyed or damaged by Islamists as they were chased out of the northern Malian city of Timbuktu. The Bibliotheque Nationale "stands ready to come to the aid of the Ahmed Baba Institute, seriously affected by recent events, in agreement with Malian and French authorities, when the situation allows", the library said in a statement.

French president to visit Mali Saturday

February 1, 2013 12:15
President Francois Hollande will visit Mali on Saturday to express his support for French troops fighting in the former colony and to push for their speedy replacement by African forces. "I am going to Mali to express to our soldiers all our support, encouragement and pride," Hollande said Friday after the announcement of his visit. "I'm also going to ensure that African forces come and join us as quickly as possible and to tell them we need them for this international force."

UPDATE 2-Bulk of Timbuktu manuscripts survived occupation unharmed

January 30, 2013 07:30
* Experts deny media reports of widespread destruction * Malian scholar says 95 percent of texts "safe and sound" * Librarians, citizens hid manuscripts away for safety (Recasts, adds details, quotes, comment from Tombouctou Manuscripts Project Website) By Pascal Fletcher
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