Mali has made 2,000 arrests under state of emergency, minister says

Malian security forces have made some 2,000 arrests since November, when a state of emergency was introduced after an al Qaeda attack on a luxury hotel, the West African nation's security minister told Reuters on Friday. Some 700 searches have been conducted and around 50 weapons seized, said Colonel Major Salif Traore. Mali's parliament voted on Thursday to prolong the ensuring emergency measures another three months.