French President Emmanuel Macron has said military operations should keep focusing on the region bordering Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in a summit with West African leaders.
France and five Sahel region nations agree to combine forces against militants in volatile region, leaders say after a summit in Pau, southwest France, with President Macron pledging 220 more troops to reinforce Barkhane operation.
France joins a tiny group of countries that use armed drones, including the United States.
The Sahel region sees a tenfold increase in the number of deaths in militant attacks while France urges other countries to do more.
French Defence Minister Florence Parly said an investigation has been opened to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
Malian authorities revised the death toll down to 35 from a previous estimate of 95. On Monday, a militant group massacred villagers from the Dogon ethnic group in southern Mali.
At least six people were injured in the plane which had 10 people on board. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Port Bouet airport in Abidjan.
The suspected militant attack targeted Kangaba Le Campement luxury resort outside the capital Bamako. Up to 36 hostages freed after Malian special forces intervened.
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