France confirms Douentza and Diabali taken by the Malian army

The Malian army was supported by French troops from Niono ,Mopti  and Sévaré the statement said, reported by Le Monde. Dibali is a strategically important town in Malian government territory 350 kms from Bamako. It was taken by islamist forces last week who had come from the  westerly directionof Mauritania. The Islamists has moved out of Dibali but were still thoght to be in the forests nearby.

A column of thirty armoured vehicles, with two hundred Malian and French soldiers, entered the city around 9 in the morning unopposed.The Islamist forces had moved eastwards and rebel forces are said to have left Timbuktu, Kidal and Gao  moving tomountainous areas on the border with Algeria.

L Monde quotes the Geneva based Ngo,  IDMC working with the United Nations saying that there had been large numbers of thepopulation in the North who had fled South and a high incidence of rapes ,violence and mutilations in the northofthe country ,Le Monde reported.The UNHCR said thatas many as 700,000 could be internally displaced or become refuges.