Mali: Hollande to Visit Timbuktu On Saturday

French President François Hollande is to visit Timbuktu on Saturday after three weeks of an offensive that has recaptured most of the north of Mali from Islamist militias.

Rights groups report a number of atrocities carried out by both sides in the war that has pitched Malian and French forces against Al Qaida-linked groups.

Hollande will be welcomed at Sévaré airport in central Mali by interim President Dioncounda Traoré and the two will go to Timbuktu where they will visit the historic Djingareyber mosque and the Ahmed Baba centre, which houses centuries-old manuscripts, some of which are reported to have been destroyed by the fundamentalists.

Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Development Minister Pascal Canfin will accompany the French president.

Rights group Amnesty International on Friday demanded that an inquiry be launched to establish who carried out an air raid that is alleged to have killed five civilians, including a woman and her three children, on the town of Konna on the first day of the French intervention.

The French military denies having carried out any such operation at the time indicated.

Amnesty also accused the Malian army of executing about 20 civilians in the north and Islamist groups of "arbitrary and deliberate homicides".

On Thursday Human Rights Watch accused the Malian army of at least 13 summary executions and "disappearing" five men in Sévaré and Konna. It charges the Islamists with the with the execution of at least seven Malian soldiers, five of them wounded. The army denies the accusations.

  • Comment (1)

Copyright © 2013 Radio France Internationale. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 130 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

Comments Post a comment

  • ras sideeq
    Feb 1 2013, 17:47

    WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THRUOUGH OUT THIS WHOLE DEBARCLE IS VAST ILLEGALITIES!!. "FIRST THE TAUREGS HAS A RIGHT TO SUE FOR AUTONOMY AND THE RIGHT TO NOT TO BE MARGINALISED AND IF THEY SEE THAT THESE OBJECTIVES ARENOT OBTAINABLE THEY CAN PURSUE INDEPENDNCE". THESE ARE PLAIN TRUTHS FACTS HUMAN RIGHTS".. WHAT WE SAW NEXT WAS A MALIAN ARMY THAT WAS ILL DICIPLNED UNTRAINED AND POSSIBLY COWARDS???? WHAT HAS BEEN ASCERTAINED FROM THIER CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE TAUREGS; HAS BEEN FEAR', CONSTANTLY RUNNING AWAY!!!. WHAT NEXT THEN TARNSPIRED IS THE COUP dETAT THAT TRANSPIRED WITH THE CAPTAIN ASSUMING CONTROL OF BOTH GOVERNMENT AND THE ARMY".. E.C.OW.A.S WHO THEN TAKING CUE FROM THE AFRICAN UNION' WAS VOCIIFEROUS IN DEMANDING THAT THE GOVERNMENT BE RSTORED AND THAT FROM THE ASPECT AND POINT OF THE CONSTITUTION SIGNED LGEALISED BY MEMBER STATES THAT NAY COUPS WILL NOT BE RECOGNISED' ANY ONE THAT COMES TO POWER BY WAY OF GUN VIOLENCE AND MURDER WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS AND SHALL FACE SANCTIONS AND CAN NOT PARTICIPATE IN AFRICAN AFFAIRS!!... THIS IS CLEAR IN THE LAWS OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE AFRICAN UNION" WHICH EVERY MEMBER STATE IS AWARE OF IF THEY WERE NTOT, THEY ARE NOW!!!. WHAT WE HAVE SEEN FROM WESTERN COUNTRIES IS THE DISOBEDIENCE OF THIS ARTICLE DISR5ESPECTING OF THE AFRICAN CONSTITUTION THIER PATHOLOGICAL VIOLENT PRACTICES SEEMS TO SUPERCEDE ALL WHAT IS RATIONAL AND LEGAL FOR AFRICANS.' THEY WAGE A CRUSADE TO ABSTINATE THESE DEVELOPMENTS WITH WARS MURDERS ILLEGALITIES. THIS IS A FACT AND WHAT HISTORY REMINDS US OF CONSTANTLY". WHAT WE HEAR COMMING OUT OF NATO; GERMANY UK USA FRANCE THE WAR MONGERS, THEY ALL WANT TO SEND SOLIDERS TO REAP THIER SHARE OF THE LOOTING THAT THEY ALL PARTICIPATE IN WHEN THEY GO ON THIER MILITARY ADVENTURISMS!!!... I HEAR AFRICAN JOURNALIST AND SO CALLED PROFESSORS SCAPEGOATING THE AFRICAN UNION AND CONGRATULATING FRANCE AND THIER GREAT DISRESPECT FOR UNITED NATION RESOLUTIONS' WHICH STATED THAT THE FORCES FROM WEST AFRICA, WOULD ENGAGE THE JIHADIST IN SEPTEMBER. ALHTOUGH WE ALL KNOW THIS WAS COMPLETE LUNACY YET THIS WAS LEGAL!!!!. WHAT I HAVE COME TO REALISE IS THE COMPLETE ROAD OF OBSTACLES THAT THE AFRICAN LEADERS HAS TO EMBARK UPON BEFORE THEY CAN COME TO THE AID OF THIER CITIZENS!!!!!." WHAT I SEE IS A WEST THAT CONTINUES TO USE SUBTERFUGE ,THE UNITED NATIONS HAS IT WHERE AFRICANS HAS TO SEEK PERMISION FROM THE WEST BEFORE THEY CAN COME TO THE AID OF THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE". WHAT WE HAVE IN WEST AFRICA LEADING THE ECOWAS COMMUNITY IS FRENCH PUPPET WHO WAS PUT IN PLACE BY A COUP DETAT MANIPULATED BY SARCOZY AND HIS IMPERIAL FORCES!!!!!!!. THE HONOUR5ABLE ACADEMNIC WHOM IS STILL BEING VILLIFIED BY SO CALLED ACADEMICS AND WELL SCHOOLED JOURNALIST FOR GET TO MENTION THAT GBAGBO ASKED THEN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR RECOUNT AS IRREGULARITIES WERER RECOGNISED IN CERTAIN AREAS WHERE THE VOTE WOULD BE TOTALY IMPOSIBLE WITH THE REGARDS TO THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE RESIDING THERE. THE FRENCH WERE RESOLOUTE' UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WOULD THERE BE A RECOUNT' ??? WHY; EVEN IF IT MEANT BRINGING THE COUNTRY TO WHERE IT WAS BEFORE??? THE FRECNH SAID YES!!!!!!!! THEY ADVOCATED WAR ALONG WITH QUATARRA THEY SNACTIONED THEY CALLED FOR STRIKES WHICH WERE UNSUCCESSFUL!!!!! THEY THEN DECIDED THAT INVASIONW AS THE NEXT BEST THING. THESE FRANCOFONE PEOPLE WERE ADAMANT THEY HAD ENOUGH OF FARNCE THIER BULLYISMS THEIR PATRONISING RUBBISH SO THEY STOOD THIER GORUIND. THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF THE LAND WHICH BY THE WAY WAS RUBBISHED BY WESTRN PROPOGANDA PRESS AND SPINSTERS FOR THE PROPOGANDA MACHINE COMMING OUT OF THE UNITED NATION SPUN A WILD TALE OF HOW THIS COURT IS ILLEGAL BECAUSE GABGBO PUT THE COURT TOGETHER???HOW RIDICULOUS??/ THIS IS TO SAY THAT OBAMA DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE SUPREME COURT JUDGE NOR DOES HE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE HIS OWN CABINET ??? WHAT WE KNOW FROM DEMOCRATIC GOVERTNMENTS IS THIS, THAT WHENEVER SUCH A JOB AS CPONSTITUIONAL COURT OFFICERS ARE CHSEN BOTH PARTIES AND ALL PARTIES HAS A ROLE IN CHOOSING THOSE THAT SERVE; THIER INTEGRITY AND IMPARTIALITY IS A PROFOUND ELEMENT IN THIS DECISION!!!!!. SO THE DECISIONN WAS INCLUSIVE,WHICH QUATARRA WAS PART OF THE DECISION MAKING WHEN THE CONSTITUIONAL COURT WAS CHOSEN. WHAT WE SAW WAS AGAIN FRENCH DISREGARD FOR LAWS THEY DECIDED THEY WANT HIM OUT SO THEY INVADED, THY DISPLACED MILLIONS AND THE END RESULT WAS THE VICTIM BECOMMING A MASQUERADE ON SHOW BY THE KANGAROO COURT ICC'." SPECIALISED WESTERN POLICE COURT; THAT IGNORES AND IS PARTIAL TO THEIR FREINDS CRIMES !!! THIS COURT IS USED TO SHOWCASE TO THE BLINDED WORLD OF JUSTICE BEING SERVED. THIS NATO WOULD BE IMPERILAIST POLICE FORCE THAT SEEKS OUT PEOPLE OF COLOUR FOR THIS SPECIAL JUSTICE ESPECIALLY AFRICANS?????... HOW DISTASTEFUL!!! THE FRENCH HAS A PROPENSITY FOR RECOGNISING ROGUES CRIMINALS CSEDDITIONIST TRAITORS ETCETRA. HERE WE SEE IUN MALI THIS GOVERNMENT THAT WAS NTO RECOGNISED BY AFRICAN LEADERS IS NOW GIVEN THIS BIG CONGRATULARY PAT ON THE BACK BY THIS ILLGEAL AND DRAMATIC MOVE DISPLACIB NG MORE PEOLE AND COLLECTING COLLATERAL SO NCALLED DAMAGE AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!!// HER WE HAVE THE AFRICAN SYNDOREM THY WANT TO BE WITH THE WINNERS NO MATTER IF THEY KNOW THAT WHAT THEY ARES AYING IS PROPOGANDA RUBBISH ALL SPEIL FROMTHE LIPS OF IMPERIALIST EBNSLAVERS WHO LOVES TO COLONIZE AND THIER FATHERS WERE THE SAME THIER GRANDFATHERS AND THEY ARE THE SAME!!! WKAE UP AFRICANS. STOP CRITICISING YOUR OWN SEEK THE MOST PROFOUND PARTS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YES WE SEE THAT THERE ARE OBSRTACLES AND WE MUST MAKE A DIFFERNCE. THE WEST DOES NTO ADHERE TO RULES UNDER ANY AND ALL CIRCUMSTANCES THEY BREAK THE LAW EVEFRY CHANCE AND OPPORTUNITY THEY GET... THIS GOES WITH OUT QUESTION!!!!. WHAT I MUST DO IS CONGRATULATE THE ALGERIANS THEY WENT IN WITHOUT WAITING FR THE WEST TO MAKE DECISIKNS FOR THEM THY GOT RID OF THJSOE PEST FROM LIBYA WHOM ARE THE PROTAGONIST NOW WORKING THE SAHEL... IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT INSTEAD FO SUGGESTING TO THE FRECH AMBASADOR THAT THE LIBYAN COPNFLICT WAS ALSO FRENCH DOMINATED WITH THIER RECOGNITION FO THE REBELS IN BENGAZI WHILE WE SEE THE BRITISH PM SUCKING UP TO TRIPOLI RECENTLY. WESTERN GOVERNMENST ARE ON A CRUSADE THIS A FACT THEY DO NOT CVARE ABOUT A AFRICAN UNION THEY DONT CRAE WHO RUNS L;IBAY THEY KNOW LIBYA IS NOT WORTH A SHITY BUT THEY PRAISE IT HOPING THAT IF THEY KEEP SAYING THE SME OLD LIES PEOPLE WILL BE WORN DOWN AND THEY WILL START TO BELIEVE!!!!!!!!! REALITY CHECK THIS SO CALLED PRESIDENT OF MALI IS ELECTED BY WHOM? WHAT GOVERNMENT IS THIS??/ THE PLAN WAS TO RETAKE THE COUNTRY MEND FENCES AND REBUILD. WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE EUROEPANS DOING OUR REBUILDING??THEY USE THEIR BRAINS ON THE AFRICANS THEY MAKE IT SO COMPLICATED FRO AFGRICANS TO REBUILD THEY MAKE SURE THEY SIT AT ALL AFGRICAN UNION MEETINGS THEY MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING IS SAID UNLESS THYEY SAY SO??? THAT IS NOT FREE AT ALL!!!!!. THESE PEOPLE ARE STILL DICTATING TO AFRICA STILL HOLDING OUR CONTINENT HOSTAGE??? THEY DID NOT HAVE AFIGHT IN MALI WHY??? THEY WOULD CUT OF THE JIHAIDST WHOM THEY HAVE RECOGNISED IN LIBYA AND THE SAME BUNCH WHO THEY HAVE FIGHTING IN SYRIA???? THIS WAS WHY THE JIHADIST DISAPPEARED AND ANOTHER FACT IS THAT THE TAUREGS ARE NOT WILLING TO WORK WITH THE EXTREMIST!!!!. THERE WAS ANOTHER GROUP TH MOVEMENT FOR ONENESS WAS IN MALI THEY PULLED OUT FOR SAKE OF THE EXTREMIST AND THIER EXTERME BAD FEELINGS FOR BLACK PEOPLE!"... THESE JIHADIST HAVE A PROBLEM THEY KNWO THEY ARE OF MIXED RACE BUT THEY DO NOT WANT TO ACCEPT IT, THEY WANT THE QATARI VERSION AND SAUDI VERSION THE ORIGINAL SUADIS WERE BLACK AS WAS LIBYA ALGERIA MORROCO TUNISIA EH GYPT AND ALL THOSE THAT SOME HOW THEY THINK THEY ARE MORE WHITE THAN BLACK!!! WAKE UP SON YOU ARE LIVINGT IN AFRICA A HOT CONTIENNT WHERE THE SUN BAKES YOU THIS WAS WHY HEN THERE WAS CREATION THE BLACK MAN WAS INSULATED WITH MELANIN BUILT ESPECIALLY FOR TH SUN ONLY FOUND IN THE BLACK DNA; SO WAKE THE HECK UP!!!!!!! YOU ARE OF MIXED RACE BUT ONE RACE THE HUMAN RACE.. STOPP FOLLOWING THIS WHITE CONCEPT OF HUMANITY LOOK AT YOURSELF LOOK AT WHERE YOU LIVE IN THE DESERT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. IF YOU DID NOT HAVE THE BLACK DNA IN YOUR BLOOD YOU WOULD NTO SURVIVFE!!!!!!. AS FOR THIS PRESDIENT FROM MALIU RAN AWAY FROM MALI RECENTLY ENDED UP IN THE FRANCE??? THEN WE SEE HIM RETURN TO MALI AND STARIGHT THE FRENCH ARE THERE ?? HE WENT TO FARNCE MADE A DEAL AND THIS SI WHERE WE ARE TODEAY!!! HOL;LANDES VISIT IS SUPERFICIAL THE FRENCH PULLED A SKANK OVER THE EYES FO THE WORLD TODAY BUT I WOULD HAVE HOPED THAT AFRICANS WERE FULLY AWAKE.. SOUTH AFRICANS ARE PALYING A DANGEROPUS GAME IN AFRICA THE LIBERATION OF AFRICA MUST BE A CONITNUOUS STRUGGLE THERE IS NO SUCH A THING AS PEACE UNTILL COMPLETE REDEMPTION AND INDEPENDENCE. BLACK LIBERATION IS OF ESSENCE. FERNCH AGRESSION IS NOT UNCOMMON DO NTO PLACATE THE FRENCH THEY ARE OUT OF ORDER; THE SAME GOES FOR OBAMA HE IS NTO AEVEN CONSCIOUS AS A SO CALLED BLACK MAN HE IS JSUT SHADED HE IS A WHITE MAN AT HEART!!!!! DO NTO BE SUCKERED BY THE UNITED NATIONS IT NEEDS REFORM I AM OFFENDED BY RISSIA AND CHINA THE BRIC NATIONS WHO HAVE NOTHING TO SAY WHEN THEY SEE THESE BLACTNT IMP[ERIAL;IST COLINALIST AGGRESSION ON AFRICA. THERE MUST BE AN OBSTRUCTION T ANY MOVES BY EURIEPO TO ENTERTAIN ANY PEACE KEEPERS WHO WILL BE BETTER SERVED IN PALESTINE WHERE THERE IS TOO MUCH UNWARANTED ISRAELI AGGRESSION!!!!!"!!!!!!. MALIAN SOLDIERS ARE ILL EQUIPED MENTALY OR MILIRAILY TO D ANY PRPER SOLDIERING IN MALI THIS NEED THE QAFRICAN UNION WITH PROPER FORCES WHO ARE MORE PROFESSIONAL THN THE MALAINS. THSI SI WHERE WE NEED TO STRIVE FOR A UNITED AFRICAN ARMED FORCES WHICH THE WQEST IS BITETRL;Y OPPOSED TO THEN YOU WOULD ATEK YOUR DESTINY FOR REAL IN YOUR HANDS" ... THEY KNOW THAT FRAGMENTED YOU STAY WEAK!!!!!!!!WHICH IS WHY THEY UNDERMINED THE RSOLUTION AND SENT IN THIER STORM TROOPERS THE FRENCH THIS NAZI AGGRESSION BEING RELIVED THROUGH THE GUISE OF NATO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1895 THESE SAME PEOPEL STORMED INTO AFRICA DRAWING LINES AND BORDERS FO CONQUEST . I HEARD PEPE ESCOBAR DECLARING THAT THE NID EAST IS SOUTH WEST ASIA ??? HOW DID HE COME TO THAT CONCLUSION WHEN THERE WAS NOT TIVER THAT DIVIDED THE CONTINENT WHEN IT WAS CRETAED AS THE RIGT VALLEY RAN FROM C KENYA ETIOPIA TO IRAQ SYRIA WHICH WAS WHERE THE FIRST SET FO BLACK EPOPEL ON THE P[LANET WERE CREATED. HE WILL SOON TELL US THAT SHARA DESERT WAS ALWAYS THERE EVEN THOUGHT HERE ARE MURAL SHOWING THAT ALL AFRICA WAS ASAVAN DURING THE EVRY EARLY EGYPTIAN PERIDS . WE HAVE MURALS OFR BLACK EGYPTIAN ON BRIDLE AND HORSE IN ALGERIAN CAVES.. NON THE LESS WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THERE WERE CITIES BURIED WITHIN THE SAHARA. WE KNOW THAT CENTRAL AFRICA TODAY WAS THE BIRHTPLACE OF MANY GERAT CIVILIZATYIONS. WE ALSO KNOW THAT MOST OF IF NTO ALL AFRICAN COUNTRIES WERE MONOTHESEIST WHICH WAS BURNDED OUT OF THEM ESPECAILLY BY THE BRITISH SOLDIERS THE ANGLOS WERE DYNAMICALLY OPPOSSED TO MONOTHESEIST PRACTICES!!!!!!!!!!. IT SI AMAZING WHEN WE HEAR CONQUISTADORS AND ANGLOS TRYING DESPEATELY TO SOUND THE EXPERT ABOUT AFRICAN HISTORY FORGETTING THE OTTOMAN EMPIRES DEAL WITH THE NATO FORCES WHEN THEY SPLIT UP WHAT THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS CALLED AFRICA!!!!!!!!! AFRICA MUST OPPOSSE ILLAGLITIES BY EVERYONE AS WE MUST OPPOSSE CORRUPTION BY EVERYONE. WE MUST SHOW THE WEST THIER CRIMINAlity must end they cant talk of ligitmicay while practicing criminality. when we hear western politicvians speaking of crimnality by banksters and financiers " that should they prosecute these criminal acts and imprison these criminals " what we know as capitalism would dissapear and end thier civilizations". WHAT WE ARE HEARING IS AN ADMISION TO THIER PREMEDIATED CRIMINAL ACTS THEY KNWO WHATY THEY DO IS ILLEGAL THIER ENTIRE FORTUNES WERE BASED ON THESE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES THEY AHVE BEEN RUNNING A ORGANISED CRIMINALITY FOR CENTURIES CALLING THEM NATIONMAS AND ANY OTHER NAMES TODAY WE KNOW THAT NATO IS NOT A FERIND AND WE NEED TO REFORM THE UNITED NATIONS"".