#Mali : The Malian opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, kidnapped on March 25, 2020, in the middle of the legislative campaign, by suspected jihadists, was able to send letters to his family who had not heard from him for months, announced on Friday August 21 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
“We know his captors. And if it pleases God, he will come back soon,” President Keïta said.
The release of the leading figure of the opposition, 70, is one of the demands of the demonstrators who have demanded for months the departure of President Keïta.
“The ICRC has given a member of Mr. Soumaïla Cissé’s family letters from the latter,” said the International Red Cross Committee in a statement written in Bamako.
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“After long months without contact, being able to receive news from a loved one is of invaluable comfort to the family,” added the humanitarian aid institution.
“I would like to point out that the letters only contained family information and that the ICRC is not participating in the negotiations for the release of Mr. Cissé”, declared the head of the ICRC delegation in Mali, Klaus Spreyermann, quoted in the report. communicated.
“As a neutral and independent humanitarian actor, when an agreement is reached between the parties concerned, the ICRC is ready to facilitate a possible transfer of hostages”, he added.
In the absence of formal proof concerning the identity of the kidnappers and of claiming the kidnapping, suspicions weigh on the jihadist group of Amadou Koufa, affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
The kidnapping of a national figure of this magnitude is unprecedented, even in a country where many kidnappings have been carried out for various reasons.
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