Emergency clamped in Mali for 10 days over jihadi threat

An Islamist insurgency simmering in the West African country since French forces drove the militants out of key northern towns two years ago has intensified in recent months. Unknown jihadists attacked a luxury hotel in November, killing 20 people including many foreigners, in the latest strike on the country’s once stable southern capital Bamako. Mali’s government then declared a state of emergency but it has since expired. 

“The state of emergency aims to give the relevant authorities the means to allow them to better identify and counter any project threatening people’s safety,” said the government.