President Francois Hollande
says French troops are taking
part in operations against
Islamists in northern Mali.
French troops "have brought
support this afternoon to Malian
units to fight against terrorist
elements", he said.
Armed groups, some linked to
al-Qaeda, took control of
northern Mali in April.
Mr Hollande said the intervention
complied with international law,
and had been agreed with
Malian President Dioncounda
Traore. A state of emergency has
been declared across the
country.
The militants said on Thursday
that they had advanced further
into government-controlled
territory, taking the strategic
central town of Konna.
The Islamists have sought to
enforce an extreme
interpretation of Islamic law.
Residents in nearby Mopti told
the BBC they had seen French
troops helping Malian forces
prepare for a counter-offensive
against the Islamists in Konna.
Mr Hollande said French military
action had been decided on
Friday morning and would last
"as long as necessary".
"Mali is facing an assault by
terrorist elements coming from
the north whose brutality and
fanaticism is known across the
world," the French president
said.
He said Mali's existence as a
state was under threat, and
referred to the need to protect
its own population and 6,000
French citizens living there.
France ruled Mali as a colony
until 1960.
French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius said the aim of the
operation was to stop Islamist
militants advancing any further.
"We need to stop the terrorists'
breakthrough, otherwise the
whole of Mali will fall into their
hands threatening all of Africa,
and even Europe," he told
reporters.
He confirmed that the French air
force was involved in the
operation, but gave no details.
France was previously believed
to have about 100 elite troops in
the region. It also has a military
base in Chad.
At least seven French hostages
are currently being held in the
region, and Mr Fabius said
France would "do everything" to
save them.
British Foreign Secretary William
Hague said on Twitter that the
UK supported the French
decision to help Mali's
government against northern
rebels.
Shortly after Mr Hollande spoke,
the west African bloc Ecowas
said it was authorising the
immediate deployment of troops
to Mali "to help the Malian army
defend its territorial integrity",
AFP news agency reported.
The Malian army said that as well
as French troops, soldiers from
Nigeria and Senegal were
already in Mali - though Senegal
later denied that it had any
combat troops in the country,
according to AFP.
The UN had previously approved
plans to send some 3,000
African troops to Mali to
recapture the north if no
political solution could be found,
but that intervention was not
expected to happen until
September.
Late on Thursday, an emergency
meeting of the UN Security
Council called for the rapid
deployment of an African-led
force.
The EU also said it would
support the rapid deployment of
an African-led mission and
speed up preparations for a
military training mission.

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