"African policymakers need to steer urbanisation from its current non-sustainable path towards healthier cities that ensure food and nutrition security, decent work and income, and a clean environment for all their citizens, " says the FAO's Modibo Traore.

BBC: Africa: Feeding the rising urban population

"The fighting is heavy and it is ongoing, " Malian army Capt Modibo Naman Traore told the Reuters news agency, adding that the army was in the process of "encircling" the militants.

BBC: Timbuktu clashes between Mali army and Islamists

In Traore's absence, Mali is being effectively led by interim Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra, a former NASA engineer who holds U.S. citizenship.

CNN: Islamist militants taking advantage of chaos in Mali