On the eve of a major international donors' conference, the European Union is pledging 520 million euros ($674.8 million) over the next two years to help recreate the west African country of Mali as a functioning state.
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.
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.
The al Qaeda-linked warlord Abou Zeid was killed in combat with French-led troops in Mali in February, France said Saturday, ending weeks of uncertainty about whether one of the group's leading commanders in the region was dead.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is leaning toward development assistance for Mali rather than a further military contribution as he consults with cabinet and opposition parties on Canada's next steps, says a senior aide.
France's defence minister says two French citizens fighting alongside extremists have been detained over the past week in the West African country of Mali.
Chadian President Idriss Deby announced Friday that Chadian troops fighting to dislodge an al-Qaida affiliate in northern Mali killed one of the group's leading commanders, Abou Zeid.
A document left behind by al Qaeda as they fled northern Mali from a French military intervention last month has revealed 22 tips on how to avoid drones, shared by Islamic extremists.
Less than a year after Mali's military was heavily criticized for seizing power in a coup, it will now start receiving advice from European experts on how to maintain control of its vast territory.
