Latest Mali government News
German parliament authorizes troops to stay in Mali for one final year
BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers on Friday gave the go-ahead for the country's troops to stay in Mali for up to another year, part of a plan to bring Germany's involvement in a U.N. military mission in the West African nation to an orderly end. Parliament approved the new and final...
88-year-old Australian doctor freed 7 years after kidnapping by Islamic extremists in West Africa
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive by Islamic extremists in West Africa for more than seven years has been freed and has returned to Australia. Ken Elliott was safe and well and was reunited with his wife and their children on Thursday night,...
UN: Africa's Sahel desperately needs help to fight violent extremism and stop its spread
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Africa’s Sahel region has become a hot spot for violent extremism, but the joint force set up in 2014 to combat groups linked to the Islamic State, al-Qaida and others has failed to stop their inroads, and a senior U.N. official warned Tuesday that without greater...
UN human rights report says at least 500 believed to have died in Mali village massacre last year
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Malian forces backed by foreign military personnel are believed to have killed at least 500 people over several days in a village last year, the U.N. said Friday, significantly raising the death toll from what already has been called the worst single atrocity in Mali’s...
Mali's junta releases timeline for constitutional referendum
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali's military junta said Friday that it's organizing a referendum on a new constitution for June 18, a key step towards a return to constitutional rule and a new presidential election expected next year in the West African country. The referendum, in which...
Senior Malian official among 4 dead in ambush in jihadi area
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A senior Malian official and three other people have been killed in an ambush in an area of the country's southwest, the government said Thursday. The attack occurred in an area where Islamic extremists are active. The president's chief of staff, Oumar Traore,...
US to Mali: End restrictions on UN peacekeepers, seek peace
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States warned Mali’s military government Wednesday that it would be “irresponsible” for the United Nations to continue deploying its more than 15,000 peacekeepers unless the western African nation ends restrictions including on operating reconnaissance...
Macron welcomes back to France journalist freed in Mali
PARIS (AP) — A French journalist who was held hostage by Islamic extremists for nearly two years in Mali was welcomed home by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, one day after his release. Olivier Dubois was kidnapped in April 2021 in northern Mali, a region wracked by...
International Red Cross says 2 kidnapped staff freed in Mali
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Two aid workers with the International Committee of the Red Cross were freed in Mali on Monday, the organization announced. The staff members were released unharmed but the organization would not disclose the employees' identities or the...
US Secretary of State Blinken visits Niger on Africa tour
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $150 million in direct assistance to Africa's Sahel region Thursday as he visited Niger, seeking to strengthen ties with a country that has so far avoided the recent spate of military coups and Russian mercenaries destabilizing...
