The country's military government has its work cut out for it, as it copes with the threat of Islamic extremism and ECOWAS sanctions.

West African bloc ECOWAS said they hoped to have an election plan from Mali by the end of this year, after a meeting with the interim leaders. Mali's authorities had previously said elections could be delayed.

The government of Mali has denied using Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group. Western countries involved in fighting jihadis in the Sahel beg to differ.

On December 23, Mali was accused by several of its international partners, including France, of allowing mercenaries from the Russian private security firm Wagner Group into its territory. Though the Malian government denied the accusations, several Russian military airplanes have flown between Bamako and Russia over the past few months. We take a closer look.

West African nations will close their borders with Mali, sever diplomatic ties and impose tough economic sanctions in response to its delay in holding elections following a 2020 military coup, the 15-state regional bloc said on Sunday.

West African leaders have imposed punitive measures on Mali as the military stalls a return to civilian rule. The move comes as regional leaders met in Ghana to discuss the crisis.

Why are Mali's neighbours coming down hard? A harsh embargo has been decided after coup leaders in that landlocked West African state reneged on their promise of a quick return to civilian rule. How harsh? We talk border closures and trade embargoes. It's not as if the region has never seen a putsch before: look no further than neighbouring Guinea.

Exclusive photos show Russian mercenaries, believed to be of the Wagner group, operating in Mali. Also, Ethiopians in Lalibela marked the orthodox Christmas under the shadow of conflict. Just months ago, the historic town was occupied by Tigrayan rebels. And Senegal's national dish has gone global. Thieboudienne, made with rice with fish, has been added to UNESCO's cultural heritage list.

Mali's Ibrahima Koné may have scored the winning goal against Tunisia, but the man everyone's talking about is the referee, who blew his whistle too early and ended the game in confusion. Also on Day 4, Gambia make a triumphant entry into their first-ever AFCON tournament with a 1-0 victory against Mauritania, and Ivory Coast jump to the top of Group E after beating Equatorial Guinea. Alison Sargent is joined by James Vasina and sports editor Simon Harding from Cameroon to discuss all the action.

Leaders from the Southern African Development Community said on Wednesday they were extending a troop deployment in Mozambique to help the government fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency.

Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who led the country until he was ousted in a 2020 coup, has died at the age of 76.

A video that shows park rangers in a helicopter in Central African Republic has been used to incorrectly point the finger at the French army for supporting terrorists in Mali. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.