Sahel Edition

Sahel: Worker of Doctors without Borders (MSF) kidnapped in north MaliF

Posted On 20 December 2022

Number of times this article was read : 809

A worker with the French-based medical charity Doctors without Borders (MSF) has been kidnapped in jihadist-torn northern Mali, police and a local official said on Tuesday. The individual was seized by armed men early Monday in Gao, the region’s biggest town, a police source told AFP, an account confirmed by a local elected official. The victim is a citizen of an African country, the police source said, while another police official said he worked in the logistics department of MSF. The charity, contacted by AFP, said it had no immediate comment.

Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, is struggling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency that has swept into neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. Across the three Sahel countries, thousands of civilians, troops and police have died and more than two million people have fled their homes. Kidnappings in Mali can have multiple causes, ranging  from ideology to crime, and some victims may be released after ransom is paid.

AFP

More on the Sahel

West Africa: Jihadist Attacks Intensify in Northern Benin Amid Cross-Border Insurgency Pressure$

Jihadist attacks in northern Benin have intensified in recent weeks, with militants linked to JNIM claiming a deadly assault on a military position near the Niger border and carrying out additional raids on security posts along the country’s volatile frontiers with Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The violence underscores how northern Benin has become part of a wider cross-border insurgency spilling south from the central Sahel, even as authorities bolster Operation Mirador and try to prevent armed groups from entrenching themselves on Beninese soil.

Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa$

Small desert locust swarms recently detected along the western Sahara corridor have prompted stepped-up monitoring across parts of North and West Africa, where shifting rainfall can quickly turn quiet desert areas into launchpads for wider infestations.

Mali Army, Russian Allies Accused of Executing Civilians Near Mauritania Border$

Seven Malian refugees traveling from Mauritania were allegedly executed by Malian soldiers and Russian Africa Corps personnel near Ahl El Kory, close to the Mauritanian border, after their vehicles were stopped on March 6. Local sources say the unarmed Fulani civilians were shot or had their throats cut, while other passengers were beaten, questioned as suspected jihadists, then released.