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Mali's work just beginning

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- More than half a million children in Mali need assistance with restarting their education after the country was split in two by war, UNICEF said.

UNICEF said it already delivered school materials to 90,000 students in Mali. Though 9,000 teachers received training, the agency said it was working to address the needs of half a million children in Mali.

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The children's fund said approximately 200 schools were destroyed by conflict. About 75,000 students fled northern Mali south, straining educational facilities there.

Islamic extremists and nomadic fighters seized control over northern Mali last year following a military coup. The interim government in January called for military support from former colonial power France to help restore national unity.

Malian President Boubacar Keita, elected in August, was sworn in to office Wednesday. A former prime minister, he campaigned that the French intervention was a national embarrassment.

Human Rights Watch said Tuesday the new president has his work cut out for him.

"After a deeply troubling period, Mali stands at a crossroads," Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "President Keita's actions, or inactions, could usher in greater respect for human rights or a return to the problems that caused Mali's near-collapse last year."

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