UN forces reportedly killed three protestors and injured others in Gao after using gunfire to disperse a protest over a plan to disarm a pro-government militia; some reports described the protest as a siege. Suicide bombers and gunmen killed about a dozen people during an assault on Tuareg rebel positions near Tabankort town; the attackers are suspected to be members of pro-government militia. A senior Malian army officer survived an assassination attempt in Bamako on Jan. 26. Burkina Faso is deploying “an 850-strong Burkinabe battalion, called ‘Badeyan 3′” to assist in peacekeeping efforts in Mali.
