Mali soldiers airdrop provisions to village besieged by suspected jihadists
MALI’S military has airdropped food into a village in the centre of the country where more than 2,000 residents have been besieged by suspected Islamist militants for the past two weeks. The situation in Farabougou, most of whose population is ethnic Bambara, has again underscored the government's difficulties imposing its authority in a part of the country where jihadists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are gaining strength. The siege began two weeks ago when the militants, who have generally sided with Fulani herders in their conflicts with farming communities like the Bambara, kidnapped several villagers and clashed with…