A Malian priest — the last of a group of five Catholics kidnapped in mid-June — has been freed, church and government sources said Wednesday. Armed men took the five people hostage in the centre of Mali on June 21 after they left Segue to attend the funeral of another priest in the area, where there is a large Catholic community. Four of them were freed two days later, including Segue village chief Thimothe Somboro, vice mayor Pascal Somboro and two other Catholics. Leon Douyon, a priest in the Segue parish, continued to be held until now.
Kizito Togo, an official of the Mopti parish, confirmed that Douyon had been let go. “Our brother, Abbey Leon, is free. He has got back to his family, safe and sound,” he told AFP. Governor of the Mopti region Abass Dembele confirmed Douyon’s release, saying he had “gone back to his village.”
Mali has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in the north of the country in 2012, and which has since spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Kidnappings, once rare, have become more common in recent years as a security crisis has deepened in Mali, particularly in the centre of the former French colony. But the abduction of five Catholics stands out in the Muslim-majority country. According to the archdiocese, about 4 percent of Mali’s population is Christian. In early April a French journalist was kidnapped by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda in northern Mali.
A Franciscan nun from Colombia, sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, was kidnapped by jihadists in Mali in 2017 and is still considered held hostage. Her brother Edgar Narvaez told AFP on Sunday that he had received a letter in her handwriting via the Red Cross that proved she is still alive.
U.S. administrations, whether Republican or Democrat, have historically shown limited focus on Africa, prioritizing counterterrorism over development. With recent geopolitical shifts, some are calling for a more balanced approach, emphasizing stability and economic growth over military presence.
Northern Mali has always been a region of turmoil, and the responsibility for the misery there starts with the central government in Bamako. Violence, social, economic and environmental turmoil has hit the people of the Azawad region hard, deeply affecting the Tuareg,...
(Photo from unconfirmed video showing an insurgent burning the presidential plane in Bamako. The person filming the attack speaks in Peul or Fulani language) By Arezki Daoud: This week’s attacks on the Malian capital of Bamako highlight the junta's difficulty in...
There have been more chatter and speculations about the activities of Russia’s mercenaries, formerly known as the Wagner Group, now reportedly called the Afrika Corps in the Sahel. It is unclear if the name "Afrika Corps" is official, but if so, it certainly confirms...
Free weekly newsletter on events and issues in North Africa and the Sahel
Signup for the most relevant news sent to your email once a week. Please check your email and spam folder for double opt in.