TheRepublic.com - Mali News

Talks to resume with Mali government, Tuaregs

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:26:40 -0400

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Talks will resume soon between the Malian government and an ethnic Tuareg rebel group whose influence has been growing in the country's north, Burkina Faso's foreign minister said Monday.

Spokesman for Ansar Dine arrested in Mauritania

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:23:20 -0400

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - The man who acted as the spokesman for one of the three al-Qaida-linked groups occupying northern Mali turned himself in over the weekend to Mauritanian authorities on the border, an intelligence official briefed on the matter confirmed on Monday.

Correction: Tunisia-Salafi Crackdown story

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:56:33 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia - In a May 15 story about the Tunisian government taking a harder line on preaching by ultraconservative Muslim groups ahead of this past weekend's conference by the group known as Ansar al-Shariah, The Associated Press reported erroneously that about 40,000 people attended the group's conference last year. About 4,000 people attended the conference in Kairouan in 2012.

Kodiak school raises fund for Mali students]

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:10:56 -0400

KODIAK, Alaska - Students at Kodiak Middle School raised $1,000 to give electricity to a school in Mali, west Africa.

Son of 'disappeared' Arab in Mali also arrested

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:52:33 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - Relatives say Mohamed Ould Ali, an employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has been arrested in Mali's capital. He had been attempting to sue the Malian military for his father's recent disappearance.

Nations pledge billions to rebuild Mali

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:27:57 -0400

BRUSSELS - A plan to turn Mali into a stable democracy rather than a terrorist haven drew massive support Wednesday as various nations and international organizations pledged 3.25 billion euros ($4.22 billion) to help reconstruct the conflict-ridden West African nation.

Mali leader: Presidential election set for July 28

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:40:06 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - Mali's interim leader says the country's presidential vote will take place on July 28 after months of speculation about the date.

French minister to discuss shaky Libya on US trip

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:24:37 -0400

PARIS - Terror groups ousted from Mali appear to be trying to set up a new haven in Libya, France's defense minister said Monday, vowing to discuss ways of helping Tripoli improve its shaky security with U.S. officials later this week.

Mali gunman kills 3 at aid distribution point

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:42:17 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - A suspected jihadist opened fire on a crowd at an aid distribution point in a north Malian village, killing three civilians, a local official said.

Jihadist group claims Mali suicide attacks

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:56:14 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - A radical jihadist group in northern Mali that ruled the town of Gao for nearly a year says it was behind the latest suicide attacks.

Jihadi peril makes its way to Tunisia

Thu, 09 May 2013 06:08:43 -0400

TUNIS, Tunisia - The hunt for al-Qaida-linked militants in a mountainous region near Tunisia's borders with Algeria in recent days has raised alarm that the birthplace of the Arab Spring has become the latest battleground for violent jihadis.

Malian military prepares for Kidal offensive

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:21:01 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - The spokesman for the Malian military confirms that the army is preparing for an assault on Kidal, the last rebel-held town in northern Mali.

Weapons of war spill blood in Nigeria's insurgency

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:40:32 -0400

LAGOS, Nigeria - At first, the Islamic extremists in Nigeria's dusty northeast rode on the backs of motorcycles, firing on government officials and other perceived enemies with worn Kalashnikov assault rifles hidden beneath their flowing robes. Now, they come prepared for war.

Al-Qaida offshoot threatens French interests

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:28:22 -0400

PARIS - An Algeria-based al-Qaida offshoot said in an online video on Tuesday that Muslims have an obligation to attack French interests around the world because of France's military intervention in Mali.

Mali military gains control of Ber in north

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:53:08 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - Soldiers from Mali and Burkina Faso pushed into the village of Ber, located 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Timbuktu, which had previously been occupied by fighters from a Tuareg rebel group, the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA.

Nigerian military plane crashes in Niger; 2 dead

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:35:59 -0400

NIAMEY, Niger - An airport official in the capital of Niger says a military plane from Nigeria has crashed, killing the two people aboard.

Tuareg leaders announce new group in northern Mali

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:34:25 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - Tuareg leaders in northern Mali have formed a new group which they say will aim to negotiate with the Malian government, as questions linger over the future of the Kidal region.

Mali: 5 dead after suicide bomber attacks patrol

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:51:04 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - A suicide bomber on a scooter attacked a Malian army patrol in the troubled northern city of Gao on Saturday as other militants in a car sprayed the troops with gunfire sparking a clash that left three suspected militants and two soldiers dead, an official said.

Report: World turmoil means fewer have free press

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:07:21 -0400

NEW YORK - A slump in global media freedom driven by Mali's turmoil, Greece's decline and tightening media control in Latin America pushed the percentage of the world's population in countries with a completely free press to its lowest level in 16 years, the democracy watchdog group Freedom House said Wednesday in its annual survey.

France: jihadist convert arrested in Mali

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:00:50 -0400

PARIS - French troops in Mali have arrested a French citizen who converted to Islam, took on the jihadist cause and threatened his native country in a video last fall, the military spokesman said Tuesday.

A terrorist sleeper cell dismantled in Mali

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:21:10 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - Police in Mali's capital have dismantled a terrorist cell belonging to the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, three officials confirmed on Tuesday.

France to slash 24K military jobs, seeking savings

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:44:16 -0400

PARIS - France will cut a further 24,000 military jobs by 2019 as it faces up to its decades of deficit spending while still trying to maintain a force ready to deal with global threats, the government said Monday.

French forces leaving Malian town of Timbuktu

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:45:08 -0400

BAMAKO, Mali - Dozens of French forces have left the northern Malian town of Timbuktu several months after their military operation largely ousted radical Islamic fighters from the area, a French military official said Sunday.

Lonely year for French president at time of crisis

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:11:53 -0400

PARIS - The sounds of raucous protest echo in the Presidential Palace, unemployment is rising to levels not seen in over a decade, and his country's economy has been called a potential time bomb at the heart of Europe.

Family seeks military help to locate missing pilot

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:38:53 -0400

WARSAW, Indiana - The family of a Warsaw man who disappeared while flying to Mali as part of missionary work is appealing to Congress and military leaders to help search for him.