Malian government forces had the central part of Gao "under control" late Sunday, a French military spokesman said, after Islamist militants had mounted new attacks earlier in the day in the northern Malian city, dpa reported.
Colonel Thierry Burkhard told dpa that French forces, sent to Mali to help the government fend off Islamist groups that overran northern Mali last year, had intervened Sunday in Gao to support Malian troops and evacuate journalists who had been trapped by the fighting.
The Malian Army was back in control of at least central Gao when the French forces pulled back to the local airport, though the entire city was not necessarily secure, Burkhard said.
The Malian government forces "handled the situation well" after being alerted by the local population to militant attempts to reinfiltrate Gao, he said.