- Gunmen have abducted a French national, Pierre Kamatte, outside his hotel in the north-eastern Mali town of Menaka, government officials have confirmed.
Menaka, where all the westerners are prohibited from visiting is about 1,500 kilometers north of the capital Bamako in the Sahel region which has been the scene of trafficking and smuggling of all kinds by organised crime groups.
Officials said the police were alerted by the hotel management after guards near the hotel heard his cries. French embassy staff and local police officials have reportedly launched a team working towards the release of Mr Kamatte.
Mr Kamatte a humanitarian worker who had been in Menaka since April was reportedly conducting research into malaria in the province of Gao, when he was abducted.
Reports said Mr Kamatte was snatched by armed men as he was leaving his hotel. The kidnappers waited till midnight as the power is usually cut at that hour to save electricity.
The French foreign ministry has warned its citizens of the risk of kidnapping in the region and urged those travelling outside of the capital Bamako to be extra vigilant.
Tuareg rebels and Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa have been active in the area. In recent years, several western nationals have been kidnapped in neighbouring Niger or in Tunisia and brought to northern Mali.
The group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two UN staffers in December 2008, and the kidnapping of four European tourists a month later. One of the four Europeans, a Briton, was killed by his captors.
Recently, the United States announced that it would provide Mali's army with millions of dollars worth of military equipment, including weapons, to help the country in its fight against al-Qaeda's North African branch.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español