Two weeks after the Malian government said it had foiled an attempted coup, President Konare has appointed a number of generals to posts within his civilian administration.

Two have been appointed special envoys to Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.

Other senior officers have been attached to the communications and health ministries.

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