Posters have been stuck in some unlikely places ahead of Sunday's presidential elections in Mali.

Former parachute commando President Amadou Toumani Toure, known as "ATT" is the overwhelming favourite, so much so that some see the election as a foregone conclusion.

His supporters call him the "Soldier of Democracy" after his 1991 coup ended years of military rule when he handed over to an elected government. He then stood and won in 2002.

Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is the strongest challenger and his supporters have been out campaigning in the capital, Bamako.

Most Malians live in poverty and for them jobs are the main election issue...

... Another is public services, such as education and healthcare. Girls are even less likely than boys to go to school.

Tourism to sites such as the famous town of Timbuktu could provide one growth area but life in northern Mali is getting harder as the Sahara Desert expands to the south.