Two journalists with Radio France Internationale (RFI) were found dead on Saturday after being kidnapped by armed men while working in Mali.
The ongoing volatility in the region has left citizens terrified after a year under jihadist rule.
The interlinked fortunes of the countries in the sparely populated Sahara region have played a complex role in the causes of Mali’s conflict.
According to officials and residents in the area, there are at least 20 dead and many more missing after a boat accident in Mali.
France is likely to welcome a more robust South African military presence on the continent.
Insurgents have launched a fresh attack against the Malian army in Kidal, forcing President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to cut his France trip short.
Besides its own challenges, the region must address the economic and trafficking problems.
The UN is being dragged into a mission in Mali likely to involve state-building as much as peacekeeping.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, an ex-prime minister with a reputation for firmness, has won Mali’s presidential election.
Sources say Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has surged ahead of Soumaila Cissé after two thirds of votes in Mali’s second round of elections were counted.
On Sunday Malians will vote for a second time to decide who should lead the country out of turmoil.
Mali’s presidential election will go to a second round on August 11 after no candidate has managed to secure a majority in the crunch poll.
Mali’s presidential election will go to a second round on August 11, after no candidate secured a majority in the landmark poll.
Early indications have revealed a record turnout in much of the country as Mali’s voters choose their new leader.
Keen to hand over its military role in Mali to the United Nations, France doggedly insisted that polls be held this month in the traumatised nation.
Mali on Saturday lifted a state of emergency to allow campaigning to begin for the first round of presidential elections scheduled for July 28.
UN troops have taken over security duties from African soldiers in Mali just four weeks ahead of planned elections.
UN soldiers will take over from African troops in Mali after Ban Ki-moon highlighted the lack of training among the West African peacekeepers.
The UN Security Council has approved the July 1 deployment of a Mali peacekeeping force, all while facing harsh challenges in a vast desert territory.
Armed groups in Mali continue to pose a serious security threat to the entire region.
Mali’s presidential election will be held on July 28, according to a draft law adopted by the Cabinet.
The EU will pledge more than half a-billion euros to help Mali rebuild after months of conflict, says the European Commission President.
Chad has arrested a group of people for conspiring in what the government describes as a "destabilisation plot".
The UN Security Council is expected to approve a peacekeeping force for Mali to help restore democracy and stabilise the northern half of the country.
The conflict in Mali could be creating a "ticking time bomb" for neighbouring Western Sahara, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has warned.
Mali has announced its little known .ML domain will be free from July, a move it hopes will put the country on the map.
A French force of 1 000 soldiers in a major offensive has swept a valley thought to be a logistics base for al-Qaeda near the Malian city of Gao.
Rokia Traoré has been pursuing her muse — and discovering more of her Malian musical identity.
Malian troops backed by French forces on Sunday clashed with Islamist fighters in Timbuktu, leaving two jihadists dead and four Malian soldiers hurt.
A suicide bomber blew himself up Saturday in the northern Malian city of Timbuktu, raising fears of a new wave of violence.
The al-Qaeda-linked Abou Zeid was killed in combat with French troops in February, France has said, ending weeks of uncertainty about his death.
The continent is becoming hot stuff as traditional instruments take over dance floors across the world.