President Alpha Omar Konare of Mali has appointed some members of the armed forces to posts within his civilian administration.

Two generals have been appointed special envoys to Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone, while other senior officers have been attached to the communications and health ministries.

The appointments come two weeks after the government said it had foiled an attempted coup.

The Malian opposition has accused the government of panicking in the face of the popularity of a coup in neighbouring Ivory Coast.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service