Mali : Reports, news and investigations

As new President takes up office, French military engineers unearth weapons buried in desert sands by fleeing militia.

The groups had already jointly claimed responsibility for raids that killed dozens at a barracks and damaged a uranium mine operated by French firm.

Jean-Marc Ayrault was commenting on Mali's first presidential elections since France chased Islamist groups from their occupation of the country.

French presidsent was awarded the annual Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize by Unesco for his decision to send troops to Mali in January.

The protesters, angry at being excluded from peace talks, say Paris is colluding in the continuing Tuareg occupation of the regional capital Kidal.

France has been given all-clear from US defence chiefs to buy two intelligence-gathering Reaper drones, pending acceptance by Congress.

France is to keep 1,000 troops in Mali for an 'undetermined period' to defend the country from islamist forces, French defence minister says.

Gilles Le Guen, also known as Abdel Jelil, arrived in Paris on Tuesday after being captured by French forces in the Malian city of Timbuktu.

President Hollande said threat is being taken taken seriously after video message callied for all Muslims 'to attack French interests everywhere'.

Authorities had been searching for Gilles Le Guen since October when he published a video in which he warned France not to interfere in Mali.

The commando was killed in northern Mali, bringing the total number of French fatalities since the war against Islamists began in January to six.

Paris aims to complete withdrawal of 3,000 soldiers this year and keep a permanent 1,000-strong force to support U.N. peacekeeping mission.

Force of 1,000 soldiers has begun a sweep of a river valley thought to be a logistics base for armed Islamists near the Malian city of Gao.

Foreign minister Laurent Fabius tells Mali leaders that France is not planning an 'overnight' withdrawal of the troops it sent to liberate the country.

As Mali begins its slow process of reconstruction, the country's political elites are already preparing for a presidential election in July. Western observers say this election is an essential step in Mali's attempts to find stability. But, as Thomas Cantaloube reports from the capital Bamako, those same observers also fear that the elections will come too soon for the new and younger breed of emerging politicians that the country so desperately needs. And that the old self-serving elites may find themselves back in power.

Mali

French seek to prevent rebel revival in Mali

Sahara jihadist groups 'merge, threaten French interests'

French PM hails Mali elections as 'great success' for France

Hollande wins Unesco peace prize for Mali intervention

Malians in Gao protest against French 'bias'

Pentagon approves sale of drones to France

France to keep thousand-strong force in Mali

French jihadist captured in Mali returns to Paris

Al-Qaeda in North Africa urges hits on French interests

France troops capture suspected French jihadist in Mali

French soldier killed in Mali

France starts troop pullout from Mali after anti-Islamist offensive

France launches major offensive on Mali Islamists

France reassures Mali over troop withdrawal

Urgently wanted: new political leaders to rebuild Mali