Displaced Malians plan fight-back

PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

These Malians are from the north of the country now in rebel control.

About 2, 000 of the displaced northerners at this meeting are calling for weapons to return home and fight.

They're unhappy with the defence put up by the Malian army after the country's recent coup.

SOUNDBITE: BOUBACAR BONCANA, MAN FROM GAO, SAYING (French):

"Mali can't be divided, whatever the situation. I think that with everything that was said tonight here we will organise ourselves by whatever means and go and defend our region. Mali is one and whole, undivided really."

SOUNDBITE: AMA OUSMANE TOURE, MAN FROM GAO, SAYING (French):

"They should give us the means to go to the north and fight too, it's not only for the army. We northerners also want to take up arms. Everybody should be able to fight to defend their loved ones."

If the north Malians do take up arms they'll face a cocktail of rebels.

The most prominent, the MNLA, is fighting for a separate homeland.

There are also local Islamists trying to impose sharia law throughout Mali.

Added to that is the presence of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

While the intention of Mali's coup leaders was to give the army more power to combat the nascent Tuareg revolt, it has instead unleashed a renewed rebel onslaught.

Paul Chapman, Reuters