The Latest Breaking News from Mali

The foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, all ruled by military juntas, have proposed a regional partnership to facilitate trade and tackle insecurity in the region, they said in a joint statement late on Thursday.

Mercenaries have been a fixture in Africa since the second half of the 20th century. They have been used to protect incumbent leaders or install new ones in conflict zones.

Moscow is seeking to expand its influence in Africa. This week has seen another diplomatic flurry by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with visits to Mali, Mauritania and Sudan.

Mali's foreign minister said on Tuesday it had no need to justify working with Russia on strengthening its military capabilities and importing oil and wheat, despite Western concerns. Abdoulaye Diop was speaking as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made his first visit to the West African nation, where militants linked…

The inability of states to provide basic services and security and create jobs across much of Africa, ranging from the Sahel zone in the west to Somalia in the east and Mozambique in the south has made the continent the global epicenter of extremist violence, the United Nations Development Programme…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has pledged military support to Mali and other aid during his first visit to the West African nation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged military support to Mali during his first visit to the West African nation Tuesday and dismissed criticism of Moscow's growing influence on the continent.

Mali's foreign minister said on Tuesday it had no need to justify working with Russia on strengthening its military capabilities and importing oil and wheat, despite Western concerns.

Hope of employment more than religious belief is driving people to join fast-growing extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a report by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) based on interviews with hundreds of former fighters.

Focusing on a strip of countries from Mali to Sudan, it is challenging the west and opening what some call a ‘second front’

In tonight's edition: Human rights investigators accuse M23 rebels operating in eastern DR Congo of terrorising communities with summary executions. Also, the UN slams Mali's expulsion of the MINUSMA mission's human rights chief in the country. Finally, even though female genital mutilation has been banned in Ivory Coast since 1998,…