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.
Chadian soldiers in Mali have killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the al-Qaeda commander who masterminded a bloody hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant.
Gunmen have kidnapped seven foreigners and killed a security guard when they stormed a construction company in Nigeria’s Bauchi State, claim police.
All the evidence suggests that hit-and-run attacks will characterise the next phase of the insurgency.
Russia has revealed it is supplying guns to Mali’s government, while French troops have discovered a massive homemade bomb in Gao, north of Mali.
France has attacked a rebel hideout in Gao, north Mali’s largest city, intensifying a security lockdown against guerrilla attacks.
Malian troops shot at a suicide bomber who then blew up at a checkpoint at the northern city of Gao late on Saturday.
The UN has been considering sending peacekeepers to Mali following a proposal that said French forces killed hundreds of extremist Islamist rebels.
Peacekeepers have taken over as France tries to prevent revenge killings in Mali.
A stunning first-half display helped Nigeria book their place in the Afcon final by beating Mali 4-1 in the semifinal at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
There is no way in which you can ever deliver freedom to anyone only to restrict their expression of that freedom, writes Mpho Matheolane.
After having killed "several hundred" militants in fighting to reclaim north Mali, France says it will begin withdrawing its troops in the country.
Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has spoken out against the appointment of "mediocre" European coaches by African teams, ahead of his side’s tie with Mali.
The Africa Cup of Nations enters its semifinal stage in Durban with Nigeria and Mali set for an unexpected meeting in the east coast city.
In August 2012, a handful of heroes conspired to save Timbuktu’s prized manuscripts. The ingenious plan involved empty rice sacks, a boat and Bamako.
France’s foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, says France wants African forces to assume security responsibility for the city of Timbuktu "very fast".
Thirty French warplanes on Sunday blasted Islamic extremist training and centres and logistics centres in northeast Mali.
Timbuktu has been freed from its Islamist occupiers but now faces the daunting task of rebuilding an economy in shambles.
Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune said Bafana Bafana failed to kill off Mali when they were dominant in Saturday night’s Nations Cup quarterfinal in Durban.
French President Francois Hollande has arrived in Mali on a one-day visit to support French troops fighting in the Sahel nation.
South Africa will receive all the home support at thequarter-final against Mali while the international spotlight will be on tiny Cape Verde Islands.
If you missed our live Afcon 2013 video chat with ‘footie writer’ Carlos Amato, check out the highlights package with everything you need to know.
The most difficult part of the conflict is yet to come for newly liberated Timbuktu: reconciliation and healing.