In December, before the French intervention in Mali, he accused the French authorities of blocking negotiations for their safe release.
Christian Rouyer, French ambassador to Mali, reiterated the need for the French offensive.
French Ambassador to Mali Christian Rouyer reiterated the need for the French offensive.
French soldiers have joined Mali's army in the hunt for the French pair kidnapped in Hombori, according to AFP.
Elsewhere, many commentators are anxious that the French operation in Mali could destabilise the entire region.
David Cameron said the French action in Mali was "in our interests" and should be supported.
And conditions have worsened since the French intervention in Mali prompted a fresh wave of 15, 000 refugees.
Offer a roll-on, roll-off Merchant Navy ferry to help transport equipment to the French force in Mali.
BBC: Mali crisis: 330 UK military personnel sent to West Africa
Friday's raid on town of Bulo Marer, south of Mogadishu, came hours after the French intervention in Mali.
Pentagon officials said a U.S. airlift of French forces to Mali is expected to continue for another two weeks.
He added that the UK was right to the support French intervention in Mali by offering training to African troops.
France's defense minister said Wednesday that there was no proven link between the French operation in Mali and the Cameroon kidnapping.
Two RAF C17 aircraft loaned to the French mission in Mali have been used to transport military equipment and service personnel.
BBC: UK 'may offer further support to French troops in Mali'
The UK defence ministry said on Friday it was deploying its Sentinel R1 spy plane to support French troops in Mali.
The defense minister added that there was no connection between the operation in Somalia and a simultaneous deployment of French troops to Mali.
The French intervention in Mali was prompted by Islamist rebels' increasing grip on the north and their advance further south towards the capital, Bamako.
Speaking shortly before Mr Hollande's address, French War Veterans Minister Kader Arif appeared to rule out a speedy deployment of French troops to Mali.
BBC: Mali crisis: France ready to stop rebels, says Hollande
The French intervened in Mali in January, fearing that al-Qaeda-linked militants who had controlled Mali's vast north since April 2012 were about to advance on the capital, Bamako.
They cited, in particular, the French intervention in Mali, and the risks posed to the region if Paris is unsuccessful in crippling the al Qaeda-linked militias fighting there.
President Francois Hollande issued a statement extending his condolences to the relatives of the soldier killed and praising what he called the determination and courage of French forces in Mali.
With the French intervention in Mali, he said "a Pandora's Box has been opened" -- and he believed oil fields in Libya were also at high risk of being attacked.
Furthermore, despite French progress in Mali, violence and discontent could continue in coming months, potentially spilling across the border in more significant ways than the kind of raid seen this week.
The intelligence collected by a 100-strong contingent of US personnel from across the border is being shared with French troops in Mali, who are assisting thousands of troops from African states.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the French campaign in Mali, which it launched in January after Islamist militants took over much of the country's north, succeeded in preventing terrorists from controlling that area.
Analysts warn that however successful the first phase of the French operation in Mali, it is likely to encounter challenges similar to those faced by U.S. and British forces in Iraq as the campaign evolves.
CNN: Algeria attack changes terror landscape in North Africa
"Belmokhtar likely wants to show he is still engaged in active operations and he is not moving away from the fighting - especially at a time when other Jihadists are in active combat against French troops in Mali, " he said.
On Wednesday, Mr Hollande said that the "final phase" of the French intervention "will last through March and from April there will be a decrease in the number of French soldiers in Mali as African forces will take over, supported by the Europeans".
Nearly 4, 000 French soldiers are now deployed in Mali, according to the French Defense Ministry website, alongside about 6, 300 troops from Chad and the African-led International Support Mission to Mali.
French forces are involved in the fight in Mali, a former French colony that retains close ties with Paris, in an effort to prevent the Islamists from turning the once-peaceful democracy into a haven for international terrorists.
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