Mali sets 7 July presidential election date, says minister

France wants to start withdrawing its 4,000 soldiers from its former colony next month and there are mounting concerns over terrorist insurgency attcksand suicide bombers in the North.

The German website Deutsche Welle (DW) reports that The United Nations estimates that about 380,000 people have fled northern Mali since the conflict began a year ago. More than 150,000 Malian refugees have sought refuge in neighboring countries, such as Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso or Algeria. The ensuing chaos and continued fighting in the North may adversely affect  the holding of electionsand their timetable DW notes.
 

To help the tens of thousands of refugees and displaced conflict, the UN estimates that the needs totaled $ 373 million for 2013 alone.