A five-nation force comprising troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin is due to deploy soon, in recognition of the regional threat posed by the group after repeated cross-border attacks.
Just before Christmas, the United Nations authorised the deployment of a 3,300 strong African-led military force to buttress the Malian army against the rebels who had taken over the north of the country; the decision came a few months after the French had called for an EU military training mission in Mali, due to deploy towards the end of this year, to provide further help.
The United Nations force, to be composed of 11,200 soldiers and 1,440 police officers, is due to deploy July 1 to stabilize the nation, on the condition that the fight between the French-led troops, who are supporting the Malian government, and the retreating militants remains low-key.
It will be particularly interesting to see whether different gene repertoires play a significant part in the determining the dramatic differences in colony morphology that are characteristic of the various corals or whether this is due mainly to deploying the same genes in different ways.
Additional Palestinian forces are already due to start deploying in the city in order to prepare the ground.
These countries are trying to push the pace because the UN's huge peacekeeping force (around 26,000-strong, including troops provided by the AU) is due to start deploying in Darfur before the end of the year.
But elsewhere its fine intentions have yet to bear fruit, especially in the two most pressing cases, Darfur and Somalia.In Darfur the UN is due to start deploying its forces in a few weeks.
Ten thousand troops are due to be deployed to protect possible targets around France.
