France has urged its citizens to leave Mali “as soon as possible”, after a weekend of co-ordinated attacks by separatist fighters and Islamist militants.

In an update on Wednesday, the advice also warned French citizens not to travel to the West African nation, describing the situation as “extremely volatile”.

Explosions and sustained gunfire were reported across the country, including the capital, Bamako on Saturday.

Mali’s military leader Gen Assimi Goïta said the security situation in the country was under control.

Speaking in public for the first time on Tuesday evening, he said the army had dealt a “violent blow” to the attackers, and signalled operations were still ongoing.

The spokesperson for one of the rebel groups, the ethnic Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), on Wednesday vowed “the regime will fall, sooner or later”.

Speaking during a visit to Paris, Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane said the rebels intended to take control of several other northern towns – Gao, Timbuktu and Menaka – following their success in Kidal.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the sale of application forms for the 2026 Direct Entry (DE) admission exercise to May 8.

The board announced the extension in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Benjamin said the decision was aimed at ensuring that no eligible candidate was denied access to tertiary education.

He said the extension replaces the earlier deadline for the exercise.

He also disclosed that five additional registration centres had been approved to ease pressure in high-demand locations.

The approved centres are the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL), Mini Campus, University of Ilorin, Kwara; Bells University of Technology, and Olabisi Onabanjo University Centre 1, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun.

Others are the Prof. Usman E-Learning Centre, Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo State; and Human Development Initiatives (Grace House), No. 2 Iwaya, Sabo, opposite Onike Girls Junior High School, Onike, Lagos.

Benjamin urged prospective candidates to take advantage of the extension, noting that JAMB offices nationwide, including Professional Registration Centres (PRCs) and Professional Testing Centres (PTCs), remained open for registration.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the removal of Saidu Mohammed as the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The President also approved the nomination of Rabiu Umar as the new Chief Executive of the authority, subject to Senate confirmation.

This was contained in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Presidency said the decision was made pursuant to the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

The move was aimed at strengthening regulatory effectiveness in the midstream and downstream petroleum sector, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Umar is an experienced executive with over 25 years of service across the energy, manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.

He is also credited with a track record in strategic leadership, operational transformation and large-scale project delivery.

Umar studied Accounting at Bayero University and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.

Pending senate confirmation of the nominee, the most senior official of the authority will oversee operations in acting capacity.

Tinubu thanked the outgoing chief executive for his service and wished him success in future endeavours.

The President reaffirmed commitment to capable leadership in key regulatory institutions to advance energy security, sector reforms and sustainable economic growth.(NAN)