United Nations peacekeepers stand at attention on July 1, 2013 during a transfer of duties ceremony from African troops in Mali in Bamako. The UN's mission is to ensure stability in the conflict-scarred nation just four weeks ahead of planned elections. A 12,600-strong force officially replaced the AFISMA military mission, which has been supporting French soldiers who entered Mali in January to halt an Islamist advance and help the government re-establish its authority over the vast country.