Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has acknowledged the existence of contacts with jihadist insurgents, an option the government has long rejected. "The number of deaths in the Sahel is becoming exponential and it's time that certain paths be explored," he said in an interview with French media due to be broadcast on Monday. Former president Dioncounda Traore is "on a mission for me," he said. siu/eml/ri