- The US military has handed over millions worth of military equipment to the Malian government to help them fight al-Qaeda's North African branch. Mali has already received a back-up from Algeria and Libya to fight the Islamists.
Local reports said trucks, powerful communication devices and clothing are among $5m worth of equipment being handed over to the Malian government.
Analysts said the gift from the US government and talk of co-operation with other countries in the region may mean the battle is about to begin in Mali, where rebellion has been on the rise in recent months.
Reports further said the cooperation comes following a number of people that were killed during 2007 and 2008 in suicide attacks and car bombings, mainly along Algeria's Mediterranean coast, including a series of tourist kidnappings.
Algeria has seen fewer attacks in 2009 but the group appears intent on moving southwards. They have claimed responsibility for killing a US citizen in Mauritania and a British hostage in Mali.
Mali's President Amadou Toumani Toure promised a total war against the Islamists and has claimed several successes, while on the other side, the government recruited members of the nomadic Tuareg people to battle the Islamists.
Mali, the landlocked West African country, is one of the world's poorest nations. Since independence from France in 1960 it has suffered droughts, rebellions, a coup and 23 years of military dictatorship.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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