The International Press Institute stated on Wednesday that two journalists were kidnapped and one journalist killed by unidentified gunmen earlier this month in Mali, highlighting the dangers that the media face there.
According to the International Press Institute, or IPI, on November 7, while driving in northern Mali, Abdoul Aziz Djibrilla, a journalist for community radio Naata, and Radio Coton FM host Moustapha Kone noticed shooters up ahead on the road.
Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, claimed that Djibrilla was killed when the unidentified gunmen opened fire on the car as they attempted to turn around. Jiddou and Kone were then kidnapped by the gunmen.
It’s unclear if the journalists’ work was the reason behind their targeting.
According to RSF, the gunmen demanded that the families of each journalist pay a ransom of around $5,000.
The head of RSF’s sub-Saharan Africa department, Sadibou Marong, issued a statement saying, “The latest events in Mali are extremely alarming.” “We demand that the Malian authorities use every resource at their disposal to track down and apprehend those accountable for the killing of Abdoul Aziz Djibrilla.”
Harouna Attino, a journalist with community radio Alafia, was also in the car and was wounded in the assault but is currently safe, press freedom advocates reported without providing any information.
Nompilo Simanje, an IPI Africa specialist, said in a statement: “We call on the authorities to guarantee the safety of journalists and uphold media freedom, which remains critical even in times of insurgency. The deteriorating press freedom situation in Mali is deeply alarming.”
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When VOA sent an email seeking response, the Washington Embassy of Mali did not respond right away.
Authorities should take action “so that the authors, co-authors, accomplices and instigators answer for their actions and are brought to justice,” according to Bandiougou Dante, head of the Mali Press House, according to RSF.
French journalist Olivier Dubois was rescued in March 2023 after spending nearly two years held captive by an armed group associated with al-Qaida in the Sahel. After travelling to northern Mali in April 2021 to speak with the head of an armed organisation, the freelance journalist was kidnapped.
As VOA noted in April, local and foreign journalists claim that press freedoms in the area are still declining even after Dubois’ release.
Reports state that terrorism and political unrest, which includes two military takeovers in 2020 and 2021, make it ever more difficult for journalists to carry out their duties in a safe manner.
“Local journalists are now the last ramparts against the total abandonment of the right to information in this northern part of the Sahel, which is prey to the terror of various armed groups and the responses from regular armies,” Marong added.
