The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mali

  • Mali: French soldiers wounded after mortar attack

    Mali: French soldiers wounded after mortar attack

    France’s armed forces said several French soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, after a mortar attack on a UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp in northern Mali, on Thursday.

    In a statement, the army said the attack took place Thursday morning targeting the MINUSMA peacekeeping force in Timbuktu near a French unit operating as part of a separate counter-terrorism force.

    “In this attack several French soldiers were wounded, including one in a serious condition,” the army said.

    France intervened in 2013 to drive out al Qaeda-linked militants who seized northern Mali in 2012.

    It has since deployed more than 4,500 soldiers, known as the Barkhane force, across the region to hunt down Islamists.

    That operation paved the way for the UN to deploy its more than 10,000-strong MINUSMA peacekeeping force to the West African state.

  • U17 AFCON: Ghana battle defending champions, Mali

    U17 AFCON: Ghana battle defending champions, Mali

    AFRICAN legend and erstwhile captain and coach of the Zambian national team, Kalusha Bwalya believes the Total U-17   African Cup of Nations Gabon 2017 would be well contested today between defending champions, Mali and two-time champions Ghana at the Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville.

    Speaking with The Nation Sport, Bwalya who was recently appointed as head of CAF Technical Committee, said the two combatants should naturally be at their best after already securing tickets to the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.

    “I’m expecting good football because the two teams have already secured their tickets to the World Cup,” stated the 1988 African Footballer of the Year. “Ghana started the tournament strongly as favourites on account of results from their first two matches but Mali came back strongly into the competition after a slow start. So, we would see, who does win on Sunday.

    He continued: “All the four teams on the field on Sunday for both the Final Match and the Third Place Match have significantly achieved part of their aims of coming to this competition and that is getting the ticket to represent their countries in India as such, we are going to see a very good match.”

    In a related development, both captains of Mali and Ghana have equally predicted a tough final, with the protagonists

  • Macron says France uncompromising against jihadists in Mali

    Macron says France uncompromising against jihadists in Mali

    France will be uncompromising in its fight against militant Islamists in Mali and the Sahel region, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday during his first visit outside Europe’s borders.

    Speaking alongside Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita at the Gao military base in the north of the country where some 1,600 troops are based, Macron also said France was determined to act for continued security in the region, and would seek to strengthen cooperation with France’s EU partner Germany to that end.

    “Germany is very present in back-up operations,” he said.

    “I want to strengthen that partnership and make sure that this German commitment, which is already present, can be intensified.”

    “Germany knows what is at stake here (and) is also part of Europe’s security and our future. Neither France nor Germany are isolated islands.”

    NAN reports that Macron’s trip to Mali is the first trip as commander-in-chief.

    He is meeting troops fighting Islamist militants in Mali where the security situation has worsened despite French intervention more than four years ago.

    The Sahel, a politically fragile area whose remote desert spaces spanning from Mauritania in the west to Sudan in the east host a medley of jihadist groups, is seen as vulnerable after a series of attacks in recent months.

    That has been brought further to light after a spike in violence across Mali, where the former colonial power intervened more than four years ago to drive out al Qaeda-linked militants who hijacked a rebellion in 2012 by ethnic Tuaregs and attempted to take control of the central government in Bamako.

    Macron, a newcomer to international diplomacy, put counter-terrorism at the top of his security priorities during the election campaign, vowing to strengthen support for West African allies.

    The trip to Gao, where some 1,600 troops are based and where he will also hold talks with Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, will reaffirm Paris’ engagement, in stark contrast to his predecessor Francois Hollande, who began his term pulling troops out of Afghanistan.

    After sending troops to Mali, France has since spread some 4,000 soldiers across the region to hunt down Islamists, while UN’ peacekeepers have been deployed to ensure Mali’s stability.

    However, the UN’s forces have lacked equipment and resources, making a political settlement between Tuaregs and the government in Mali increasingly fragile and paving the way for Islamists and traffickers to exploit a void in the north of the country.

     

  • Deaf footballers depart for WADFU tournament in Mali

    A 24-man contingent of the of Nigeria Deaf Football Association (NDFA) on Sunday departed the country for the West Africa Deaf Football tournament holding in Bamako, Mali.

    The one week competition will begin on Monday and end on May 15.

    The NDFA National Coach, Banjo Kamiludeen, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the contingent made up of 19 players and five officials jetted out aboard Air Côte d’Ivoire from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The Team Leader, Kamiludeen, named some of the officials as Luke Agbabiaka, Secretary of NDFA, Kabiru Umar, Acting Chairman, Emma Audu, and Assistant Coach, Patrick, who is also a tournament referee.

    He said that the footballers were confirmed to be medically fit and technically sound to take their place in various stages of the event organised by West Africa Deaf Football Union.

    “Every arrangement concerning this trip was successful and it is on that note that we are boarding now so our participation in the event is sure.

    “We had our normal camp in Teslim Balogun Stadium, where the players underwent rigorous training and necessary medical fitness test and certified okay before departure.

    “The footballers are very happy and in high spirit to face and trash participating teams in this competition because they are experienced and familiar with match technicalities,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that the NDFA national team have had five appearances in the tournament which began in 2010 and did not feature in the 2016 tournament for lack of funds.

  • Minister urges Sahel-Sahara states to unite against religious extremism

    The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali , has called on Ministers of  Defence of Sahel-Sahara states to work closely in dealing with the growing threat of terror and religious extremism in the region.

    Dan-Ali made the made the call at the 6th annual meeting of the ministers of defence of Sahel-Sahara states in Abidjan, a statement by Col. Aliyu Gusau, his Public Relations Officer, said.

    The minister, however, noted that good governance was key to addressing security challenges across Africa.

    Dan-Ali, who also called for provision of job opportunities for youths to enable them have better means of livelihood, said this would check exposure to cyber crime which often made them potential recruits   for terrorists.

    He gave an assurance that Nigeria was committed to the realisation of the objectives of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD.

    Nigeria also endorsed the establishment of Regional Counter Terrorism Centre with headquarters in Egypt, saying it would   support the   initiative.

    The CEN-SAD ministers also unanimously agreed Nigeria should host its 7th meeting in 2018.

    CEN-SAD, which was established in February 1998 by six countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Niger and Sudan, now has   27 members.

    One of its main goals is to achieve economic unity through the implementation of the free movement of people and goods in order to make the area occupied by member states a free trade area.

     

  • FIFA blocks Mali from intl football over govt meddling

    World football body FIFA on Friday in Zurich said all of Mali’s football clubs have been suspended from international competitions, after the country’s government interfered in the national association.

    FIFA took action after Mali’s sports minister, Housseini Amion Guindo, decided to replace the executive body of the Malian Football Association FEMAFOOT with a new provisional leadership.

    “The suspension will be lifted once ministerial decisions are nullified,’’ it said in a statement.

    In the meantime, FEMAFOOT has lost its FIFA membership rights, and the national team and clubs from the West African country are banned from international events.

  • 41 trafficked Nigerian girls evacuated from Mali

    The Federal Government on Monday evacuated 41 Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Mali for forced labour and sexual exploitation.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six persons, alledged to be human traffickers, were also arrested and brought back to the country alongside their victims.

    The Hercules C-130 military aircraft, with registration number NAF 913, conveying the returnees landed at 7:45 pm at the Airforce Base of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

    They were brought back by the Nigeria Air Force in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant, Diaspora and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

    They were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the NAPTIP and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).

    Addressing newsmen, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, commended the Chief Of Defence Staff, for facilitating the return of the victims to the country.

    “We want to thank the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, for making the return of the girls possible, otherwise they would have still be there.

    “The girls came back voluntarily. Some of these girls are between 15 and 17 years old who thought they were being taken to Europe for greener pastures but ended up with traumatic experiences in the hands of their traffickers and their madam.

    “So they should not be ashamed of themselves because they are victims. We are going to rehabilitate them through skills acquisition programmes. I am therefore calling on non-governmental organisations to join us in this regard,” she said.

    Dabiri-Erewa advised Nigerian parents to watch their children carefully and ensure that they don’t succumb to peer pressure and other activities that could exposed them to traffickers.

    She confirmed that six of the alleged traffickers, who were arrested and brought back to the country, would be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.

    According to her, the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration remains committed to the welfare of Nigerians all over the world, hence this intervention.

    Also speaking, Mr Joseph Famakinwa, Zonal Commander, NAPTIP, South-West Zone, said 512 victims were returned to the zone in 2016.

    Famakinwa said Nigerians needed to go back to the basics of bringing up their children uprightly and discouraging the ‘get rich quick’ syndrome.

    He said poverty was not solely responsible for the increase in the human trafficking, stressing that other factors such as negligence, peer pressure and greed were also responsible.

    “Once the girls have been rescued, we take them to our shelter houses where they are received by trained counselors who assist them in overcoming their trauma.

    “After counseling, for those who don’t want to go back to school, we give them a vocational training of their choice and also assist them to set up their businesses.

    “We also meet with their families to let them know that being victims of human trafficking is not the end of the world and advised them on how to render support to the girls,” Famakinwa said.

    He said NAPTIP would reveal the identities of the suspected traffickers in due course and ensure that they are brought to justice. (NAN)

  • CAF Championship: Rivers United departs for Mali

     

    Players and officials of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club side, Rivers United, have left for Mali for a Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Championship match.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday by Sammy Wejinya, Rivers United Media Officer.

    The statement said that the contingent comprised of 20 players and 13 officials left Nigeria at 9:40am for Bamako.

    According to the statement, Rivers United, one of Nigeria’s representatives in the championship, will play AS Real Bamako on Feb. 10.

    The statement assured Nigerians of a good outing in Mali.

  • Africa-France summit opens in Mali amidst strong security

    Africa-France summit opens in Mali amidst strong security

    French and African foreign ministers opened a summit in Mali on Friday to strengthen their cooperation on economic and security issues, the Mali Foreign Ministry said.

    “It takes a collective and coordinated response to tackle these challenges,” Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said.

    Foreign ministers from almost 40 countries participated in the talks in the capital, Bamako, amidst heavy security measures.

    The conference centre, high-end hotels and the capital’s main roads were secured with the help of more than 10,000 Malian and French security forces.

    Bamako was last targeted by Islamist terrorists in November 2015, when militants took 170 hostages inside the luxurious Radisson Blu Hotel and killed 20 of them.

    The meeting of the foreign ministers is expected to lay the groundwork for a summit of heads of state on Saturday.

    It will include French President Francois Hollande as well as roughly 35 African leaders.

    The summit is of great importance to Hollande, as France has been deploying soldiers in Mali since 2013 to help the conflict-ridden nation push back an Islamist insurgency.

  • Buhari for The Gambia, Mali

    Buhari for The Gambia, Mali

    President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to Banjul, the capital of The Gambia and Bamako, the Malian capital, today.

    In Banjul, President Buhari, as the mediator in The Gambia, is scheduled to meet with President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia and the President-elect Adama Barrow to continue dialogue on the political situation in the West African country.

    The trip was shifted from Wednesday to today.

    The President will be joined by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Chairperson of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, President Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone, and the immediate past President of Ghana, John Mahama, who is the co-meditator of The Gambian mission.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari will later today travel to Bamako, Mali to participate in the 27th Africa–France Summit. The Summit for Partnership, Peace and Emergence, convened by French President Francois Hollande, is aimed at strengthening cooperation between France and African countries in the areas of peace and security, economic partnership and development.

    It reads: “Recognising the role played by France in the successes so far recorded in the implementation of the regional initiative against terrorism, President Buhari will reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to global efforts on the war against terror and underline the need for improved collaboration to address the menace of terrorism in the region.

    “The President will be accompanied by Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defence.”