Mali
28/02/2013 / MALI
Mali Exclusive: aftermath of a suicide bomb in Kidal
These photos, sent in by one of our Observers in the northern Malian city of Kidal, are the first images we have received from this remote city since it was retaken from Islamist extremists by French and Malian forces. These exclusive photos show the aftermath of a suicide bombing that took place at a checkpoint on Tuesday evening. See photos and read more…
Contributors
19/02/2013 / MALI
Exclusive report: The last Malian city to be freed from jihadists
Our Observer described scenes of joy in the northern Malian town of Bourem following the arrival of the Malian army and its allies. He explains that the military has asked residents to help them identify any terrorists still hidden in the city. Read more...
Contributors
31/01/2013 / MALI
Fake videos of reprisals in northern Mali circulate online
This morning, several Malians sent us a video circulating online, purporting to show the corpse of a man allegedly linked to Islamist extremists in northern Mali. According those who sent it, the body shown belongs to a torturer from the Islamic police in the northern city of Gao, who was supposedly killed in revenge for his misdeeds. However, upon further inspection, it turns out this story is false: the video was actually shot in Nigeria. Read more...
Contributors
30/01/2013 / MALI
Voices from newly-liberated Malian city: “We can’t thank France enough”
Four days after its capture by French and Malian forces, the city of Gao has come back to life. Our Observers on the ground are celebrating the departure of Islamist extremists and report feeling secure thanks to the presence of French and Malian coalition forces. Nonetheless, our Observers caution against getting too complacent, given that some of the extremists’ supporters could still be hiding out in or near the city. Read more…
17/01/2013 / MALI
Paranoia in Bamako: Muslims arrested for ‘looking Islamist’
While the Malian army and French forces combat Islamist fighters in the country’s north, to the south, residents of the capital Bamako are falling prey to paranoia. Anyone who looks like they might perchance be radical Islamists is immediately denounced to the authorities. Read more...
15/01/2013 / MALI
Islamist rebels jumping ship in Gao, residents cautiously celebrate
The Islamist rebels who have occupied Gao since April 2012 are being driven out of the city following France’s decision last week to intervene militarily in its former colony. Gao is still not completely liberated, but residents have already begun celebrating in the streets and allowing themselves the small indulgences outlawed by the Islamist extremists’ strict interpretation of Sharia Law. Read more...
07/01/2013 / MALI
"Islamic extremists in Gao broadcast amputations"
On January 1, Islamic extremists from th Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) movement in Gao broadcast footage they had filmed of two men punished according to Islamic Sharia law. One man was amputated, the other flogged. Our Observer witnessed a similar occurrence just a week earlier. Read more...
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26/12/2012 / MALI
The plunder of Timbuktu: “What can we do against armed men?”
On Sunday, the citizens of Timbuktu were once again powerless to stop the destruction of the city's famed mausoleums by Islamist militias. In the city of “333 saints”, the mood is one of resignation. Read more...
05/12/2012 / MALI
Mali peace talks: Tuareg and Islamist leaders 'chatted, cracked jokes'
Leaders from the MNLA, Ansar Dine and the Malian government chat in Ouagadougou, where they met for negotiations.
Nine months after Tuareg and Islamists rebels took over northern Mali, the president of neighbouring Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, welcomed representatives from Ansar Dine, from the MNLA and from Mali’s transitional government to his nation’s capital. The goal was to try to start talks to resolve the crisis. On Tuesday, they agreed to "cease hostilities" – though there is not currently any fighting – and pledged to continue negotiations. Our Observer explains that the cultural proximity between the Tuareg separatists of the MNLA (National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad) and the Islamists of Ansar Dine will be a key factor for brokering a new peace in the north. Read more...
Contributors
06/11/2012 / Mali
Photos from the new Timbuktu, as controlled by radical Islamists
A France 24 Observer living in the Malian capital Bamako headed north to Timbuktu in October to visit his wife. While there, he took photographs of radical Islamists from the Ansar Dine movement, who took control of the city earlier this year.
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