French special forces carried out a raid in northern Mali targeting the jihadist group al-Murabitoon—but a pro-government Arab militia said four of its fighters were killed.
The deadly hotel siege in Mali's capital was apparently ordered by Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar—who was twice reported killed in military operations over the past two years.
An Ansar Dine militant was turned over to the International Criminal Court, accused of destruction of religious monuments and other war crimes committed in Timbuktu.
The democratic transition begun by last year's popular revolution was aborted by a military coup d'etat in Burkina Faso, sparking street protests in which three have been killed.
Fighting erupted between Tuareg militias in northern Mali, breaking the ceasefire and threatening peace talks scheduled to resume this week in neighboring Niger.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and related networks are said to control Saharan smuggling routes for Moroccan hashish to fund their regional operations.
Ivory Coast sent troops into Mali after Islamist militia Ansar Dine staged a series of raids along the border between the two countries, briefly seizing several towns.
A new law allows for the return of Jews descended from those expelled from Spain in 1492, but no such effort is being made for descendants of the Moors exiled that year.
Mali's government is boasting a deal with Tuareg leaders granting autonomy to the northern homeland of Azawad—but the biggest rebel factions are holding out for more power.
UN "peacekeepers" have been drawn into fighting between Tuareg separatist rebels and pro-government paramilitaries as northern Mali remains divided.
France expands military operations across the Sahel to chase down jihadist insurgents, as Mali opens peace talks with Tuareg separatists that have seized much of the country.
The Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) was blamed for a massacre of some 30 Tuaregs in a road ambush near the desert city of Gao in northern Mali.
