Mali

For almost a week, the people of the village of Farabougou, in central Mali, have been living through a blockade imposed by the jihadists. No one enters or leaves the village. This blockade is combined with a jihadist attack that left at least six dead and 22 wounded, while nine other people are still in the hands of the same jihadists, according to residents. as reported from Bamako, It all started last week with the kidnapping attributed to the jihadists from about twenty civilians from the Malian locality…

Last week, several Malian and international hostages were released in exchange for the release of several hundred prisoners. Among them are fighters involved in deadly attacks on the Malian army and two personalities considered leaders of the GSIM affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Sahel. For these releases, the discussions were bitter about certain names like Fawaz Ould Ahmed. Before he was arrested in 2016, this Mauretanian did a lot. Director of the al-Mourabitoune group, affiliated with Aqmi and founded by Mokhtar…

The release of the French hostage, Sophie Pétronin, put the spotlight on Westerners still being held in the Sahel. But next to them, there are also an unknown number of Malian and Sahelin hostages. Hostage participation of premises that are much less mentioned. This week, twenty people were kidnapped in the municipality of Farabougou, in the middle of the country. Nine of them were still selected this Sunday. These hostages, targeting anonymous Malians, are less talked about than Westerners or leading personalities such…

After moments of joy and effusion, following the release late last week in Mali of the three Western hostages and opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, the continent's press is focusing on the underside of transactions on Monday. How many jihadists have been freed in exchange for hostages? Impossible to have an exact number. We're talking about 200 warriors. What is certain is that some of them met last Friday to celebrate their release. "The elements of GSIM, the support group for Islam and Muslims, wereted no time in…

At least five Western hostages are still being held captive in the Sahel. Among them the Colombian Gloria Cecilia Argoti, with whom Sophie Pétronin spent most of her captivity, or the Australian Arthur Kenneth Elliot. Back in France, the former French hostage was able to provide news about the health of some other hostages.…

Ghanaian head of state Nana Akufo-Addo, current president of the West African states (ECOWAS), declared on Sunday (October 11th) during her visit to Bamako that she had "good hope" that the Malian transitional authorities would respect their obligations. "At the moment, all the actions taken by the transitional authorities give…

The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, the current President of ECOWAS is expected this Sunday, October 11 in Bamako for a few hours. He is the first head of state to visit Mali since ECOWAS lifted the embargo. He comes to take stock of the political transition, discuss the next steps so that the election deadlines are met. But his first message will be "solidarity with Mali". as reported from Bamako, It is first and foremost a journey to mark ECOWAS 'solidarity with Mali. The country finds its place in the…

The recent release of hostages in Mali raises hopes that more hostages will be released. Several Malians and six Westerners are still in the hands of the jihadists in the Sahel. Among them is the Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Argoti, known as "Sister Gloria". The Colombian nun was abducted on February 7, 2017 in Karangasso, in the Sikasso region of southern Mali. She then appears in two videos, including one with French-Swiss Sophie Pétronin, who was released Thursday night. That was in September 2018. Since then, there is…

Available! Finally free! Soumaïla Cissé, Sophie Pétronin and the other hostages are reunited with their families. Also the senior figures from the IBK regime who were arrested during the coup regain freedom while the Malays regain a government and Mali, its rights and powers within ECOWAS. Can we therefore consider that everything is in order and that this country can now resume a normal life?No alas! No! But before we…

Switzerland's foreign ministry said on Friday that a Swiss woman held hostage in Mali had been killed by an Islamist group. The ministry said it had been informed by French authorities that the hostages had been "killed by kidnappers from the Islamist terrorist organization Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam Muslimeen about a month…