While the French-led operation to flush out militants in Mali has dominated coverage recently, news from across the continent certainly hasn't stopped.

Here are five interesting stories you may have missed this week:

Imprisoned Charles Taylor wants $25K a year

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was convicted of war crimes last year, but he still wants his former government to show him the money.

Taylor, once one of West Africa's most powerful figures, is serving a 50-year sentence.

He wrote to the Liberian Senate, demanding an annual state pension of $25,000, according to media reports.

In the letter, he says he is entitled to the money as a former head of state, and threatened to sue if the government does not address his concerns, according to AllAfrica.com.

CNN attempts to reach the Liberian Senate were unsuccessful.

Taylor made history last year when he became the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes since World War II.

An international tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, found him guilty of funding militants fighting a brutal civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone, which ended in 2002.

He has appealed his conviction; a judge heard oral arguments Tuesday and Wednesday.

Four-day work week in the Gambia

If you've always wanted a four-day work week, then the Gambia is the country for you.

The nation's president declared Friday a day of rest for public sector officials. The bonus day off, effective February 1, is in addition to the weekend.

"This new arrangement will allow Gambians to devote more time to prayers, social activities and agriculture -- going back to the land to grow what we eat and eat what we grow for a healthy and wealthy nation," the president said in a statement.

Gambia, a tiny nation of about 2 million, has a majority Muslim population.

Coup attempt in Eritrea?

Rebel soldiers raided the government information ministry and took over the airwaves in an apparent coup attempt in Eritrea , The New York Times reported.

The Horn of Africa nation is one of the most secretive in the world. Scant reports of the mutiny attempt circulated worldwide Tuesday, sparking confusion and uncertainty.

After a brief upheaval, it appeared the government had quashed the coup attempt.

"Eritrea is often called the North Korea of Africa because it is so isolated and authoritarian, with few friends and thousands of defectors in recent years," the Times said.

President Isaias Afewerki has led the nation for 20 years. He is notorious for dooming journalists to years in prison, a factor in the lack of information after the coup attempt in the capital of Asmara.

Eritrea has not had an independent press for over a decade, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Colonial past aside, Malians flying French flags

France is back to its former colony of Mali, and the streets are aflutter with flags of both nations alongside one another.