France begins Mali military intervention

 France has hundreds of troops across western Africa, with bases or sites in places such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Chad and Gabon.
The rebels "have even tried to deal a fatal blow to the very existence of Mali", Hollande said in an earlier speech on Friday to the French diplomatic corps.

"France, like its African partners and the entire international community, cannot accept that."
France will act under authority of three recent UN Security Council resolutions that call on member states to help Mali resolve its crisis in the face of a terrorist threat, both through political and military means, French diplomats have said.
France begins Mali military intervention - Africa - Al Jazeera English