A convoy of UN peacekeepers from Chad has arrived in the Malian city of Gao as part of the nationwide withdrawal of the force.
The troops had driven hundreds of kilometres from outposts in northern Mali, in Tessalit and Aguelhok, in what the UN called dangerous conditions.
They were forced to travel by road, partly because the authorities refused to give clearance for flights.
Mali’s military government has demanded that the UN force leave the country by the end of the year, saying its decade-long mission against Islamist militants had failed.
