Mali: Algerian jihadists join north Mali islamists ranks
Dozen of Algerian jihadists have arrived in the Malian city of Timbuktu to support armed Islamist groups who are imposing an increasingly brutal version of sharia law in the vast northern areas under their control, security sources said Sunday.
The latest influx of foreigners joining the Al-Qaeda linked Islamists was revealed as interim authorities in Bamako postponed a key conference to plan the country’s transition back to democracy and tackle the crisis in the occupied north.
The fragility of the interim regime and unclear plans to complete the transition back to democracy after a March coup are key concerns as plans are being finalised for regional military intervention to drive out the militants.