Militants have launched a fresh attack on military personnel in Mali’s lawless northern desert region, killing four soldiers.

At least 14 soldiers have been killed and 17 others sustained injuries in the central Malian city of Timbuktu after unknown gunmen attacked their camp, according to military sources.

Three United Nations soldiers from Bangladesh were killed by an explosive device that detonated as they were escorting a convoy in northern Mali on Sunday, the West African country's peacekeeping mission and Bangladesh's military said.

Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has reshuffled his government, introducing a former rebel and eight other ministers.

Malian military authorities say at least four soldiers have been killed in a gun attack and landmine explosion in the West African country’s northeastern region.

Armed assailants in Mali have killed at least two soldiers and a security guard in two separate attacks in which four militants were also gunned downed by government forces.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has denounced the "horrific terrorist attack" at a luxury hotel in Mali, warning that the violence is targeting peace efforts in the country.

Mali has declared a state of emergency and three days of national mourning following a deadly hostage crisis that claimed the lives of more than 20 people, including foreign nationals.

At least six people have lost their lives in a “terrorist attack” carried out by unknown militants in the Timbuktu region of northern Mali, the government says.

At least 10 soldiers are killed in northern Mali in an attack against their camp.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is on a visit to Mali to offer his country’s support for a landmark peace deal agreed in the African country to end years of unrest.

The United Nations (UN) has welcomed the signing of a landmark peace deal between the government and the Coordination of Azawad Movements in Mali, which is aimed at ending years of unrest in a country battered by ethnic divisions and al-Qaeda-linked militancy.

Renewed fighting between militant groups operating in Mali’s restive northern areas has forced some 57,000 people to flee their homes over the past four weeks, the UN refugee agency says.

A Bangladeshi soldier with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali has reportedly been killed and another one injured in a shooting attack by suspected militants in the capital city of Bamako.

French Special Forces have rescued a Dutch hostage held captive by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in Mali for over three years in a dramatic operation that led to a gun battle with his captors.

Over 30 people have been killed in clashes in northern Mali a few days ahead of the start of peace talks, security sources say.

Five aid workers kidnapped in northern Mali last February have been rescued during a raid near the town of Timbuktu and are reported to be in good health.

African branch of al-Qaeda claimed on Wednesday responsibility for killing two French journalists in Mali.

The Netherlands has announced that it will send 380 soldiers and four Apache attack helicopters to the war-torn Mali as part of a UN-led peacekeeping mission.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says the country will keep some 2,000 troops in Mali until the end of 2013.