Mali: state of emergency lifted, says official

Mali today lifted a five-month state of emergency, on the eve of the start of a presidential election campaign for July 28 polls in the troubled west African nation, the security ministry said.

Mali on Saturday lifted a five-month state of emergency, on the eve of the start of a presidential election campaign for July 28 polls in the troubled west African nation, the security ministry said.

The state of emergency was put in place on January 12, a day after France launched a surprise intervention to help Mali drive out Islamists occupying its north.