video transcript

Aid is prepared in central Mali, ready to be taken north to towns recently liberated by French and Malian troops. The World Food Programme (WFP) has stepped up deliveries to areas recaptured from Islamist fighters. This month alone they hope to ship almost 3,000 tons of food relief to Timbuktu and Gao. Billy Keita is in charge of the Mopti region. SOUNDBITE: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, HEAD FOR MOPTI REGION, BILLY KEITA, SAYING (French): "At the beginning of the bombing, around the 10th of January, the delivery to some areas was a bit affected. But from last week, with the stabilisation and recapture of the two regions, we resumed our regular deliveries." The food relief operation is expected to last until at least the end of the year. Most of Mali's key northern towns have now been reclaimed, as French airstrikes continue to target rebels camps.