TOPSHOTS People cheer as soldiers of Malian Colonel Alaji Ag Gamou enter on January 29, 2013 Ansongo, a town south of the northern Malian city of Gao. Troops from Niger and Mali on January 29 entered Ansongo, which along with Gao was recaptured by French-led soldiers over the weekend in a lightning offensive against radicals holding Mali's north. So far, just 2,000 African troops have been sent to Mali or neighboring Niger, many of them from Chad, to boost the French-led offensive which began on January 11 and led to the recapture of several towns, including Ansongo. AFP PHOTO / KAMBOU SIA