Mali rivals must stick to peace deal: French minister

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday urged Mali's warring factions to stick to a peace deal to end a long and bloody conflict.

Northern Mali fell to jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda from March 2012. These forces were driven out of key towns when France led international military intervention the following year.

But barely a week goes by without attacks despite a peace pact signed in May and June last year after lengthy negotiations in Algiers between the government, groups backing it and Tuareg rebels.

"It's hugely important for these accords to be implemented with great determination," Le Drian told journalists on the sidelines of a forum on peace and security in Africa hosted by Senegal.

"This is the only way to fight seriously and definitively against the armed terrorist groups," he said. "There's no other way out."

Le Drian said there some parties had reservations about the disarmament, demobilisation and  reintegration process of former fighters but added that it was "necessary that all parties apply pressure and supply the means... for these accords to be respected."

Armed extremist groups remain active in large tracts of the country beyond the reach of Malian and foreign troops and the jihadists frequently carry out bloody attacks, which were extended last year to other parts of Mali.