French Action in Mali

So the French have now carried out air strikes against rebels in the north of Mali, in towns around Timbuktu, though they seem to be more than 100 miles away from the city. There are French troops on the ground in the northern part of the south of the country, which is still government controlled, and Britain have lent France two transport planes to take military equipment to Mali (and possibly troops).
It must be a very scary time to be a civilian in Timbuktu.