Tag Archives: Mali

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Mali could be thrown out of the 2018 World Cup qualifying competition after the government sacked the national football federation leaders. The bottom-of-the-table west Africans are scheduled to play Morocco twice, group leaders Ivory Coast and Gabon this year. Global football body FIFA does not permit …

Bamako, Mali | AFP |  Dozens of young Muslims opposed to alcoholic beverages smashed bars and liquor stalls in the northern Malian city of Timbuktu on Saturday, saying they were “places of depravity”, local sources said. “The youngsters were very organised, having targeted what to destroy,” said a resident reached …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |  The European Union on Sunday signed an agreement with the Malian government aimed at enabling the return of migrants who have reached Europe’s shores, and whose asylum requests have been refused. “It is the first time the EU establishes such a precise mechanism with …

Paris, France | AFP | A French soldier deployed in a counter-terrorism force in Mali died overnight from injuries sustained in a mine blast, the defence ministry said Saturday. The jihadist group Ansar Dine, which has ties to Al-Qaeda, claimed the attack on social media, saying it took place some …

Bamako, Mali | AFP |  German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday warned against Africa suffering from a “brain drain” as she arrived on a three-day tour of the continent focused on security and stemming the migrant influx to Europe. Merkel also underscored the need to “establish coherent cooperation” in development …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | War crimes judges Tuesday found a Malian jihadist guilty of destroying Timbuktu’s fabled shrines, and were set to pass sentence amid hopes the court will send a strong message to help safeguard the world’s ancient monuments. A three-judge bench began handing down its judgements …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |    A Malian jihadist pleaded guilty Monday to attacking the fabled city of Timbuktu and begged forgiveness as the world was shown sickening videos of him and other fundamentalists tearing down centuries-old Muslim shrines with pick-axes. At the opening of his unprecedented war crimes …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Seventeen soldiers were killed and 35 wounded in central Mali Tuesday in an assault on their base that authorities called a “coordinated terrorist attack”. “The toll has increased: we have lost 17 men and 35 are wounded,” Mali’s defence minister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly said. Authorities …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Two Dutch UN peacekeepers were accidentally killed and one seriously wounded Wednesday in an explosion in northwest Mali during a training exercise, the Dutch defence ministry said. “During the accident, two of our men lost their lives,” said The Netherlands’ Vice Chief of Defence, Vice …

Bamako, Mali | AFP | As the United Nations looks to extend its most deadly active mission for peacekeepers for another year, those working closely with its venture in Mali say poor local collaboration and funding gaps are costing lives. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Security Council to …