theatlantic:

In Focus: Mali Conflict Enters New Phase

The president of France, Francois Hollande, has said that French troops are in the “final phase” of their fight against separatist and Islamic groups who had taken control of most of northern Mali. This new phase, beginning just more than a month after the French military intervened, has been marked by at least two suicide bomb attacks, and the start of guerrilla warfare, after the militant groups retreated into Mali’s wild countryside. France has announced plans to pull out in March, leaving the management of the conflict to the Malian military and allied West African nations, primarily Chad and Nigeria. Gathered here are images from the past few weeks of the ongoing conflict in Mali.

See more. [Image: AP, Getty, Reuters]