Mali marks independence day amid tensions, uncertainty

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian authorities held a traditional military parade Thursday to make the country's first independence day celebration since French troops departed after nine years of fighting Islamic extremists in its one-time colony.

The festivities, featuring fighter planes flying overhead, came as Mali faces growing condemnation for detaining 46 soldiers from neighboring Ivory Coast who had deployed to provide security for a company contracted by the United Nations.

Malians sang the country's anthem in the streets of Bamako while others played drums. Wearing the red, green and yellow colors of the Malian flag, Souadou Diabate clutched a photo of Col. Assimi Goita, who seized power in Mali two years ago in a coup and has facing mounting international isolation.

“It is in difficult times that great nations are built,” she said. “Mali is a country of patriots and valiant soldiers.”