The Latest Breaking News from Mali

ICC prosecutors: Mali rebel ‘enthusiastic’ war crimes perpetrator

Defendant called key figure in al Qaeda-linked group that tormented Malians in closing arguments of war crimes trial.

Al Jazeera · May 23, 2023

ICC prosecutors say Malian rebel was 'enthusiastic' war crimes perpetrator

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday said a Malian Islamist rebel was a key figure in "blatant persecution" of the residents of Timbuktu and was an enthusiastic participant in war crimes.

Reuters · May 23, 2023

US says Russia’s Wagner force eyes Mali as route for war supplies

Russian mercenary force said to be willing to falsify paperwork to use Mali as transit point for Ukraine war equipment.

Al Jazeera · May 23, 2023

French army accused of failing to stop journalist's kidnapping in Mali

French forces tried to use a journalist's visit to northern Mali to track a jihadist leader but failed to prevent the reporter from being kidnapped by the militants, a joint investigation by RFI, newspapers Le Monde and Liberation and broadcaster TV5Monde has found.

Radio France Internationale · May 18, 2023

Who are Russia’s allies in Putin’s war against Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin promised African nations that he would write off their debts and provide free grain in an attempt to bolster alliances across the continent at a two-day summit in St Petersburg last month.

The Week · May 18, 2023

French army accused of failing to stop French hostage Olivier Dubois's kidnapping

In tonight's edition: The French army has been accused of trying to piggy-back onto former hostage Olivier Dubois's arrangements to interview a jihadist commander in Mali, but doing little to stop the reporter's eventual abduction. Also, a scientifically-backed report finds that big oil extraction in Nigeria's Bayelsa State has come…

France 24 · May 17, 2023

Africa’s ‘Cannes moment’ opens with tribute to Malian great Souleymane Cissé

The record number of African films at the 76th Cannes Film Festival has fuelled talk of a moviemaking revival on the continent, powered by a new generation of female directors. Fittingly, this year’s Carrosse d’Or award, part of the Directors Fortnight strand, went to Mali’s Souleymane Cissé, the veteran director…

France 24 · May 17, 2023

Conflict-ridden Sahel region needs help to fight extremists, UN says

Africa's Sahel has become a hotbed of violence following the failure of a joint force to fight terrorist groups – with instability now at risk of spreading to West Africa, a UN official has warned.

Radio France Internationale · May 17, 2023

Africa's Sahel needs international support to fight militants, UN says

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 UN official warned Tuesday that without greater international support and regional…

France 24 · May 16, 2023

US urges Mali to investigate, hold accountable those to blame for Moura attack

The United States on Monday urged Mali's transition government to pursue an "independent, impartial, efficient, exhaustive, and transparent investigation" to hold accountable those responsible for the likely execution of hundreds of people in one village.

Reuters · May 15, 2023