France's defence minister said Tuesday she was "optimistic" European forces would step up to bolster the fight against militancy in Mali, as the country reels from a devastating jihadist attack that killed dozens of soldiers.

Mali's military is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency despite the help of forces from France, Africa and the United Nations, with a string of deadly assaults underscoring the fragility of a region where jihadist violence has claimed hundreds of lives.

Gunmen on Friday targeted an army base in Indelimane in the northeast of the country near the border with Niger, leaving 49 Malian troops dead. Further weekend attacks killed two more Malian soldiers and a French soldier.

French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly acknowledged the security situation was "clearly difficult" as she visited the country as part of an official trip to the Sahel.

Parly expressed confidence that France, which has deployed its 4,500-strong Barkhane force in the Sahel since 2014, was nearing a breakthrough in its efforts to convince European partners to boost military assistance. This would likely be to send instructors to help national armies in the region.

"By 2020, special forces from European countries will be deployed in Mali alongside the French special forces to pass on exceptional know-how" to Mali's army, Parly said Tuesday during a visit to the northern city of Gao.

She added that around a dozen countries had been approached to join the unit -- to be named "Takuba", which means "sabre" in the Touareg language -- and had received encouraging replies.

Participation is conditional on votes in national parliaments but Parly said she was "optimistic".

Efforts to boost the European security presence in the region comes as continuing attacks have raised questions over the ability of the Malian military and its foreign backers to take control of the situation, as well as protests against international forces.

- Instability and protest -

Northern Mali fell into the hands of jihadists in 2012 before the militants were forced out by a French-led military intervention. But the jihadists have regrouped to carry out hit-and-run strikes in violence that has spread to central Mali.

A month ago, some 40 troops were killed in a double attack near the Burkina Faso border.

Friday's bloodshed was claimed by Islamic State-allied militants. A UN report seen by AFP said three different groups attacked the Indelimane military base simultaneously.

Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has said Friday's attack shows that the help of foreign forces is "necessary more than ever".

MINUSMA, the 13,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, helped the army build the Indelimane base last year, along with French soldiers.

The G5 Sahel, a five-nation joint taskforce set up in 2014 to tackle the jihadist threat, is also active in the region. It comprises troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad.

But the ongoing instability has stirred protests.

In mid-October, hundreds of demonstrators set fire to tires and ransacked UN supply containers outside a MINUSMA military camp in Sevare, near the central Mali city of Mopti.

There have also been several protests against foreign troops in Niger since the beginning of the year.

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