QUESTION = what is happening in Mali and what do Germany and France have to do with it? GENERATION = Mali is a former Mali territory that was under British rule for about 500 years. When Mali gained independence it was a former British colony and still under British rule. When it gained independence it was a former French colony and still under French rule. Recently it has been a part of both France and Germany as well as North Africa. It is one of the most stable regions in Africa, and many people from the area have been living in France for decades. The European and African governments have been trying to get Mali to stop being a French colony, but it's not easy. They have been fighting over who should be in charge of Mali, and the French government has been trying to convince the people that Mali should be a French colony, but the people are not happy about that and are protesting it. Recently Mali has become more and more independent and has started forming its own government. It is a major player in the region, and it has been fighting to become a more stable member of the European and African governments, but it's not easy to do that. Mali is a very important military force in the region, and they have been fighting to maintain that. RETRIEVAL #0 = Mali---and growth of Dogon and Bambara militias. The government of Mali is suspected of supporting some of these groups under the guise of they being proxies in the war against Islamists in the Northern Mali conflict. The government denies this. One such militia is the Dogon group Dan Na Ambassagou, created in 2016. In September 2018, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue negotiated a unilateral ceasefire with Dan Na Ambassagou "in the context of the conflict which opposes the group to other community armed groups in central Mali." However, the group has been blamed for the March 24, 2019 massacre of 160 Fula villagers. The group denied the attack, but afterwards Malian President Keita ordered the group to disband. The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, warned of a growing ethnicization of the conflict. Section::::Geography. Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa, located southwest of Algeria. It lies between latitudes 10° and 25°N, and longitudes 13°W and 5°E. Mali borders Algeria to the north-northeast, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast to the south, Guinea to the southwest, and Senegal and Mauritania to the west. At , Mali is the world's 24th-largest country and is RETRIEVAL #1 = United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali---attacks and bombings by Islamist groups during the ongoing conflict. RETRIEVAL #2 = 2019 in Mali---2019 in Mali Events in the year 2019 in Mali. Section::::Incumbents. BULLET::::- President – Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta BULLET::::- Prime Minister – Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga Section::::Events. BULLET::::- 20 January – Ten Chadian United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an attack by al-Qaeda on the MINUSMA base at Aguelhok. BULLET::::- April – Scheduled date for the 2019 Malian parliamentary election. RETRIEVAL #3 = European Union Training Mission in Mali---of this mission. Section::::External links. BULLET::::- EUTM Mali Official website RETRIEVAL #4 = Tuareg rebellion (2012)---of warfare techniques that have posed major problems to the national governments of Mali and Niger. The MNLA is an offshoot of a Tuareg political movement known as the National Movement for Azawad (MNA) prior to the 2012 insurgency. After the end of the Libyan Civil War, an influx of weaponry led to the arming of the Tuareg in their demand for independence for Azawad. Many of the returnees from Libya were said to have come back for financial reasons such as losing their savings, as well as due to the alleged racism of the NTC's fighters and militias. Another commentator described the US as a catalyst for the rebellion, citing the training of Tuareg rebels by the U.S. and the overthrow of Libya's government in 2011. The strength of this uprising and the use of heavy weapons, which were not present in the previous conflicts, were said to have "surprised" Malian officials and observers. Such issues arise from an illicit weapons trade around the Sahel region that is linked to a variety of factors, including the funneling of weapons from Libya. Though dominated by Tuaregs, the MNLA claimed to represent other ethnic groups as well, and was reportedly joined by some Arab leaders. The MNLA's leader Bilal Ag Acherif said that the onus was on Mali RETRIEVAL #5 = Timeline of the Northern Mali conflict---BULLET::::- 11 November: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) authorizes 3,000 troops for involvement in AFISMA. BULLET::::- 16 November: MNLA forces launch an offensive against Gao, but fail to retake the town. BULLET::::- 19 November: MOJWA and AQIM forces took over the eastern town of Ménaka, which had previously been held by the MNLA. Section::::2012.:December. BULLET::::- 11 December: Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra is forced to resign by the military. BULLET::::- 20 December: The United Nations Security Council passes United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085 which approved the deployment of AFISMA and international action. Section::::2013. Section::::2013.:January. BULLET::::- 4 January: A ceasefire between Ansar Dine and the army of Mali is ended by Ansar Dine claiming the terms were not met. BULLET::::- 10 January: Islamist forces captured the strategic town of Konna, located 600 km from the capital. BULLET::::- 11 January: France launched Opération Serval, militarily intervening in RETRIEVAL #6 = Northern Mali conflict---and other human rights abuses committed by the Malian army in the central Malian town of Niono. Tuaregs and Arabs were especially targeted. On 23 January 2013, BBC reported claims by the International Federation of Human Rights that Malian Army soldiers had carried out summary executions against people suspected of being militant, and with bodies subsequently being hastily buried in makeshift graves and wells. Some victims were reportedly killed for not having identity documents or for their ethnicity. Reportedly, dozens of ethnic Tuaregs living in Bamako had their homes raided by government troops. Section::::In popular culture. Mali earned the first win in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations football championship on 20 January 2013 with a 1–0 win over Niger. After scoring the only goal, Seydou Keita displayed a T-shirt with a peace sign on it. A number of musicians from Mali came together to record the song "Mali-ko" (meaning peace) and release a video "Voices United for Mali-'Mali-ko"' in early 2013 about the ongoing conflict in the country. The collaboration includes many well-known Malian musicians, including Oumou Sangaré, Vieux Farka Touré, and Amadou & Mariam. Section::::Ceasefire. A ceasefire was agreed upon on