Two French journalists killed in Mali town of Kidal
RFI said the two journalists were passionate about Africa
Two journalists for French radio station RFI have been killed after they were kidnapped in the northern town of Kidal in Mali.
Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were abducted after
interviewing a local political leader. Their bodies were found outside
the town soon after.French President Francois Hollande called the killings "despicable".
The killings come days after France was celebrating the release of four hostages from neighbouring Niger.
'Strange noise' Radio France Internationale said Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were on their second assignment in Kidal, having travelled to the town in July to cover the first round of the presidential election.
Continue reading the main story
This latest incident is part of an upsurge in violent attacks
in Mali. It comes after a period of relative calm following the French
military intervention in January, which pushed a number of extremist
Islamic groups out of the main towns of the north.
I was in Kidal two days ago. It's a small town but the epicentre of a long-running dispute between ethnic Tuareg desert nomads and most of the rest of the Malian population, which is black African.
This incident took place in broad daylight very close to a base housing several hundred French soldiers and UN peacekeepers.
Despite this serious security presence, a group of armed men seized two foreign journalists outside one of the most sensitive residences in Kidal, drove them away and killed them.
Analysis
I was in Kidal two days ago. It's a small town but the epicentre of a long-running dispute between ethnic Tuareg desert nomads and most of the rest of the Malian population, which is black African.
This incident took place in broad daylight very close to a base housing several hundred French soldiers and UN peacekeepers.
Despite this serious security presence, a group of armed men seized two foreign journalists outside one of the most sensitive residences in Kidal, drove them away and killed them.
Ambeiry Ag Rhissa, a local
official of the MNLA ethnic Tuareg separatist group, said the pair had
just finished interviewing him when they were kidnapped outside his
house.
"When they left, I heard a strange noise outside," he told Reuters news agency by telephone."I immediately went out to see and when I opened my door, a turbaned man pointed a gun at me and told me go back inside."
Sources said four men forced the journalists into a beige truck which was then driven off into the surrounding desert.
One report said the kidnappers' vehicle was being pursued by the security forces, possibly including the French army. A French attack helicopter was seen above Kidal a few hours after the abduction occurred.
The bodies of the two journalists were found on a desert track some 12km (eight miles) to the east of Kidal, sources said.
RFI described 51-year-old Ghislaine Dupont as "passionate about her job and the African continent that she covered ever since joining RFI in 1986".
The BBC's Mark Doyle said the French journalists were interviewing a political leader before their abduction
Confirming their deaths, the French foreign ministry said it would "in conjunction with the Malian authorities, make every effort to find out as soon as possible about the circumstances of their death".
A statement from President Hollande's office said he "expresses his indignation over this despicable act", adding that he is meeting ministers on Sunday to discuss the incident.
Their deaths bring to 42 the number of journalists around the world killed so far in 2013.
Kidnappings
Continue reading the main story
Mali timeline
- 2011: Tuareg fighters leave Libya after Gaddafi toppled and take up arms at home in Mali
- March-April 2012: Separatist and Islamist groups seize control of northern Mali
- Jan 2013: French-led forces oust rebels from towns
- June 2013: Government and separatist rebels sign peace deal
- July 2013: Elections held to reunite Mali
The BBC's international
development correspondent Mark Doyle, who was in Kidal just two days
ago, describes it as a small place with a population of some 10,000.
He says it is at the epicentre of a political dispute between
ethnic Tuareg nomads and the rest of the population of Mali, who are
black Africans.There are 200 French troops and 200 UN peacekeepers as well as a Malian army base in Kidal.
It is extremely surprising, our correspondent says, that such an attack could have happened in broad daylight under the noses of so many troops.
Earlier this week, four Frenchmen were released three years after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen targeting French firms operating a uranium mine in neighbouring Niger.
The hostages had been held in the deserts of northern Mali.
Jubilation at their release was tempered by speculation that the French government had paid as much as a 20m euros (£17m; $26m) ransom.
Hostage-taking has become a big money-making business by extremist groups in the Sahara, say observers.
Deaths of journalists
- 42 journalists killed in 2013
- 1,009 journalists killed since 1992
- 596 journalists murdered with impunity since 1992
- 456 journalists in exile since 2008
Much of it goes towards buying
the means to carry out more kidnappings: Procuring four-wheel drive
jeeps, fuel, weapons and GPS systems, BBC security correspondent Frank
Gardner reports.
France led an operation to oust Islamist rebels from northern
Mali - its former colony - earlier this year, sending in thousands of
troops.It handed over responsibility for security to a UN force in the summer.
But French troops are still in the country helping to prevent a resurgence of militant activity in the region.
