Malian government troops drove back Islamist rebels from a strategic central town right after France intervened on Friday with air strikes to halt advances from the militants controlling the country's desert north.
Western governments, especially former colonial electrical power France, had voiced alarm following the al Qaeda-linked rebel alliance captured the town of Konna on Thursday, a gateway in the direction of the capital Bamako 600 km (375 miles) south.
President Francois Hollande mentioned France wouldn't stand by to view the rebels push southward. Paris has repeatedly warned the Islamists' seizure in the country's north in April gave them a base to assault neighboring African nations and Europe.
"We are faced with blatant aggression that's threatening Mali's really existence. France can not accept this," Hollande, who lately pledged Paris wouldn't to meddle in African affairs, mentioned inside a New Year speech to diplomats and journalists.
The president stated resolutions from the United Nations Protection Council, which in December sanctioned an African-led military intervention in Mali, meant France was acting in accordance with worldwide law.
In Washington, a U.S. official informed Reuters the Pentagon is weighing possibilities in Mali, like intelligence-sharing with France and logistics help.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius confirmed that France had carried out air strikes against the rebels to stop them conquering the entire of Mali. He refused to reveal even more facts, for example whether or not French troops have been for the ground.
France's intervention promptly tipped the military stability of electrical power, with Malian government forces promptly sweeping back into Konna, based on regional residents.
"The Malian army has retaken Konna with all the aid of our military partners. We're there now," Lieutenant Colonel Diaran Kone informed Reuters, including the army was mopping up Islamist fighters during the surrounding place.
EU SPEEDS UP DEPLOYMENT
A military operation had not been anticipated till September as a result of the issues of coaching Malian troops, funding the African force and deploying through the mid-year rainy season. Having said that, Mali's government appealed for urgent military help from France on Thursday following Islamist fighters took Konna.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton named on Friday for "accelerated worldwide engagement" and mentioned the bloc would speed up ideas to deploy 200 troops to train Malian forces, at first anticipated in late February.
The capture of Konna through the rebels - who've imposed stringent Sharia Islamic law in northern Mali - had brought on panic amid residents within the towns of Mopti and Sevare, 60 km (40 miles) on the south. Calm returned, having said that, just after residents reported Western soldiers and foreign military aircraft arriving late on Thursday at Sevare's airport - the principle 1 inside the area.
Military analysts mentioned the Western soldiers may perhaps are already the initial deployment of French particular forces.
They voiced doubt, even so, no matter if Friday's action heralded the start out from the last operation to retake northern Mali - a harsh, sparsely populated terrain the dimension of France - as neither the gear nor ground troops had been prepared.
"We're not still in the significant intervention," explained Mark Schroeder, director for Sub-Saharan Africa evaluation for your worldwide danger and safety consultancy Stratfor. He stated France had been forced to act once the Islamists bore down on Sevare, a critical launching point for long term military operations.
"The French recognized this was a red line they couldn't permit to become crossed," he explained.
STATE OF EMERGENCY
A lot more than two decades of peaceful elections had earned Mali a track record like a bulwark of democracy within a a part of Africa far better acknowledged for turmoil - an picture that unraveled inside a matter of weeks soon after a military coup final March that paved the way in which to the Islamist rebellion.
Mali is Africa's third biggest gold producer along with a significant cotton grower, and household on the fabled northern desert city of Timbuktu - an ancient trading hub and UNESCO Planet Heritage web-site that hosted yearly music festivals ahead of the rebellion.
Interim President Dioncounda Traore, underneath stress for bolder action from Mali's military, declared a state of emergency on Friday. Traore will fly to Paris for talks with Hollande on Wednesday.
"Every Malian need to henceforth contemplate themself a soldier," Traore explained on state Television, calling on mining and telecoms providers to contribute for the war energy. He mentioned he requested French air help using the blessing of West African allies.
The chief of operations for Mali's Defence Ministry stated that Nigeria and Senegal have been amid another nations supplying military help to the ground. Fabius mentioned these nations had not taken portion from the French operation.
A spokesman for that Nigerian air force mentioned planes had been deployed to Mali for the reconnaissance mission, not for fight.
The French foreign ministry stepped up its safety alert on Mali and elements of neighboring Mauritania and Niger on Friday, extending its red alert - the highest degree - to consist of Bamako. France has eight nationals in Islamist hands within the Sahara right after a string of kidnappings.
A spokesman for al Qaeda's north African arm AQIM urged France, within a video posted online, to reconsider its intervention. "Stop your assault against us or you might be digging your own personal sons' graves," stated Abdallah Al-Chinguetti.
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