News of French military funerals

Funerals of the French military men who died during an attack on a base in western Africa are due to take place. The attack, said to be near the Mali border resulted in the deaths of around 70 soldiers according to various sources. The attack lasted several hours and involved hundreds, reported to be militants according to a source.
Violent attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are documented to have escalated this year, and have been reported as an almost every day occurrence during November. Fifty died as the result of an attack on a military base on the Mali-Niger border on November 1 according to reports. Armed revolts were said by one source to have begun in 2011, and another, to be linked to the ousting of Muammar Gadaffi in 2012, and are obviously pro-nationalist.
Mali was known as French Sudan from 1880-1960 when it tried for independence. French troops are said to have been a presence, reportedly in the border areas, since 2013. A report called posthumus, says citizens in the region are beginning to grow suspicious of France’s reasons for being there. Five west African countrys were due to meet with President Macron to discuss France’s presence in the area, which now may be postponed until January according to a report. Some say France’s presence is linked to the area’s mineral wealth and colonial interests. Meanwhile the area is believed to be in humanitarian crisis. A widespread lack of food is documented which may have lead to attacks on civilians which have been reported. Epidemics have also been reported. Access to basic water supplies in rural areas of Burkina Faso, where three quarters of the population are said to live, is reported to be low by western African standards.