Mali's president has appointed the government of the country's new prime minister, as he prepares for a presidential campaign amid an ongoing threat from jihadists.

A luxury resort popular with expatriates outside Mali’s capital Bamako came under attack by gunmen on Sunday, leaving at least three dead. According to government sources, "suspected jihadists" are behind the attack.

Will the UN Security Council succeed in passing a resolution to create a joint counter-terrorism force by five countries in Africa’s Sahel region? The project, in large part conceived and supported by France, faces steep resistance from Washington.

France says its forces in West Africa have killed or captured more than 20 militants in a forest near Mali's border with Burkina Faso.

A French soldier has been killed in a "clash with terrorists" in southeast Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, the French presidential office announced on Thursday.

© Kenzo Triboullard, AFP | File photo of Malian soldiers on patrol.