Mali's interim government on Thursday announced the composition of a new legislative body for the West African country's transition to civilian rule, with the military retaining a strong role.

Young army officers in the conflict-ridden Sahel state toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18 after weeks of anti-government protests.

Under the threat of international sanctions, the officers between September and October handed power to an interim government, which is meant to rule for 18 months before staging elections.

Coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita, who was made vice president of the interim government, was given veto power last month over the appointments to the 121-seat legislative body.

The move was seen by critics of the military-dominated interim regime as strengthening army control.

The final list for the new National Transitional Council was published by a decree from the interim president, Bah Ndaw, himself a retired army colonel.

The list of appointments was read out late Thursday on national television. Members of the defence and security forces received 22 seats.

The body will meet for the first time on Saturday and will elect its president.

The opposition June 5 Movement, or M5, last month called for "resistance" after it was announced Goita would have the final say on the MPs.

As interim vice president, Goita is in charge of security issues in a country which has been struggling to quell a brutal jihadist insurgency since 2012.

Anger over the seemingly endless conflict, as well as over perceived corruption, contributed to the protests which culminated in Keita's ouster.

UK sends 300 troops to Mali on UN peacekeeping mission
London (AFP) Dec 3, 2020 - Britain is deploying 300 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali to help strengthen security and human rights there, its defence ministry said Thursday.

The British troops will provide the UN mission with "a highly specialised reconnaissance capability, conducting patrols to gather intelligence and engage with the local population," the ministry said.

Mali is struggling with an Islamist insurgency that first erupted in the north but has since spread to the centre of the country and spilled over into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the deployment was a "demonstration of our firm commitment to peacekeeping and the importance we place on improving security in the Sahel."

"Our land forces are the best in the world, and we are one of a small handful of nations able to provide this specialist capability in a challenging environment, which will help prevent the spread of conflict across the region," he added.

The UN Mission in Mali is made up of more than 14,000 peacekeepers from 56 different countries.

Most of Britain's troops arrived on December 2, flying to the UN camp in Gao in eastern Mali.

"We bring years of experience on operations, first-class equipment and exceptional people," said commanding officer Tom Robinson.

"We're proud to be the first British soldiers to join in this team effort."

Jihadists launched an insurgency in northern Mali in 2012 before being routed by French military intervention.

They then regrouped and advanced into the nation's ethnically volatile centre. Swathes of the country remain outside government control.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes.

Britain has already deployed three Chinook helicopters and 100 personnel to Mali, providing logistical support for France's anti-jihadist campaign, but this role is separate from that of the UN mission.

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