Minister of Defence Sedki Sobhi met with Mali's Army Chief of Staff General Mahmane Toure to discuss the importance of coordination and cooperation between African countries to counter the threats posed by "terrorist organisations" in Africa, said a Tuesday statement by the armed forces. Sobhi has met with Mali's Minister of Defence Bah N'Dao in August where they discussed ways to strengthen military cooperation between both countries. Mali has witnessed rising conflict since Tuareg separatists, a minority sect, and Al-Qaeda linked Islamists, staged an insurgency against the Malian government in 2012 which led to France's intervention in Mali. Egypt's armed forces face attacks by Islamist militant groups as well, the most recent of these on 24 October when 30 security personnel were killed in two separate attacks in Sinai. In a reaction the Egyptian military has undertaken security measures, particularly in North Sinai, to eliminate "terrorist elements". These measures involve the relocation of residents living on the border with Gaza to destroy all the smuggling tunnels into and out of Sinai. A state of emergency in the area has been applied for a period of three months in order to facilitate operations against terrorists. The majority of attacks staged in Sinai were claimed by Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, who pledged allegiance to the ‘Islamic State' group in Iraq and Syria, on Monday.