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Any more news on this?
Abdel Hakim al-Sahrawi was reportedly killed in Tamalat (east of Menaka, Mali) https://www.africa-express.info/2020...il-presidente/ https://www.difesaesicurezza.com/dif...-stato-ucciso/ |
Tunisia: 'terrorist' attack in Sousse
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Assamakka, NIger
Unusual deadly attack and vehicle robbery (for this part of Niger) on a Trans-Sahara Highway road-building camp between Arlit and Assamakka.
https://levenementniger.com/frontier...s-une-attaque/ |
Robbers then. Some may see the idea of a paved road as an impediment to their business interests.
It would be interesting to see how far the Chinese have come with their road-building in Niger. In November 2019 they said the whole project was 80% ready. What impact will it have on security and travel? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ghway_2019.png |
Possible release of Sophie Petronin (French national kidnapped in Gao in 2016):
https://twitter.com/SimNasr/status/1313387392225681408 |
She was an aid worker in Gao, where she ran an operation for malnourished children.
https://www.france24.com/en/20170702...ges-mali-video She may then be part of a larger deal where the main exchange is 180 jihadists released for the Malian former presidential candidate Soumaila Cisse, kidnapped in March this year https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...-prisoner-swap It would be delightful if they also released the elderly Australian doctor Elliott, who was running a clinic in Djibo for decades. And the Romanian worker, the Colombian nun, the Swiss missionary. |
Good news
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As predicted, Sophie Pétronin, Pierluigi Maccalli and Nicola Chiacchio have been released, along with Soumaila Cissé, head of Malian opposition.
The Europeans are in for a bit more of a shock than normal. https://www.france24.com/en/20201008...ali-since-2016 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...794_story.html So according to my list, that leaves
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Sadly it seems that Beatrice Stöckli had been mudered about 1 month ago.
This had been reported by the Swiss forreigny ministry: https://twitter.com/ignaziocassis/st...44210549743617 Swiss boulevard press report (in German): https://www.blick.ch/news/ausland/vo...d16137375.html |
And there is reason to worry why the Australian surgeon Ken Elliott wasn't released. He was kidnapped with his wife in Djibo near the Mali border January 2016.
She was soon released but he was not. He is now 86 years old, if he is alive. The couple was running a clinic with 120 beds since the 1970's, the only health provider in the region. Sad beyond comprehension. |
Another leader, Ba Ag Moussa taken out by the French.
If it has any consequences remains to see. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/...g-moussa-mali/ |
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An interesting read about the escape of the Italian and Quebecois couple: https://www.journaldemontreal.com/20...ecoise-au-mali
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Well done. Amazing truck driver who risked his life for saving theirs rather than enriching himself. They were lucky.
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Interesting article here about British American Tobacco and the trade in cigarettes through the Sahara with the militant groups:
https://www.occrp.org/en/loosetobacc...in-west-africa Attachment 25133 |
Quote:
An example of the mentality of the BAT suits from the article: An internal strategy memo from 2015 refenced BAT's plan, called “Desert Storm”. “As we know, in a dark market, the war is won on the battlefield with no pity for our competitors,” said the memo. A 2007 presentation speaking of “fighting ITG [Imperial Tobacco Group] to the death” and a “PMI [Philip Morris International] attack.” It would be laughable if it weren't so lethal. Interesting website too. Thanks. |
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