News, some unconfirmed, from Bamako....
Leaving for Manding country and northern Guinea this morning with Keita, our journalist friend Levy and Lassina, another friend of ours.
But suddenly things are moving here in Bamako...there were several arrests during the night and this morning. Members of ATT's former government were arrested by the military, for reasons not yet established. The targets were Sadio Gassama, former Minister of Defense; Sumaila Cisse, the President of the party URD, and Modibu Sidibe, the two latter both Presidiential candidates, and the former of these two mentioned frequently in this blog recently as one of the most corrupt of all in the former gouvernment.
Lassina just witnessed the arrest of Sumaila Cisse before his mansion, half an hour before arriving here. Lassina ran into a friend at this scene; a source close to Modibu Sidibe. According to this source the arrests, at least the arrest of Modibo Sidibe, was a result of a plot that had been discovered to assassinate captain Sanogo. A group of Nigerian Mercenaries are also said to have been arrested, commissioned by Sidibe.
What is true? What is happening? Did the new Interim President Dionkounda Traore, the present highest authority here authorise the arrests? What is the international news saying- I have no electicity and no battery left in my laptop, so no means of finding out! Just enough to post this hopefully..
More soon....
posted by toubab at 10:33 AM
7 Comments:
Very little, it seems, beyond what you say - so far (could only find a Washington Post report). Yesterday there was news of a Swiss missionary being kidnapped in Timbuktu. I don't understand who is in power there - the Islamists or the separatists.
Hope that your journey goes well. BBC news online confirms all that you have said about the arrests and Swiss kidnapping. Nothing new on Aljazeera but last report from them a few days ago said that Timbuctoo was under the control of ex Gaddafi mercenaries.
Look forward to hearing more from you when you have power again.
Safe travelling, inshallah
Mary and John
I have no additional news from here, though we are paying attention in our house. Safe journey, and I, too, will look forward to hearing from you when you have power again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/arts/design/the-great-mosque-in-djenne-mali.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
Hello Sophie, this is Kate, former Peace Corps Volunteer in Senossa. Just read this article from the NYT--it talks quite a bit about your manuscript project!
Hello Kate Susan Mary and David,
thank you for checking the blog and looking out for news! I am surfacing again, albeit momentarily in Kangaba, southern Mali, will try and write something tonight then I will disappear into the bush again!
xxs
Dear Sophie, Your blog keeps me posted. Thanx. if you are interested in selling your bogolans etc in Holland and Belgium take a look at these shops. I can introduce you if you like. www.hadhi.be and www.tahouaimport.nl Kind regards, Charlotte
I have now read in detail the article Kate has noted. So this is your mss project! It is tremendously important, isn't it? I do hope it may continue despite all. The article led me back to the whole series of articles Holland Cotter wrote about art in Africa, about which I learn he has a longstanding passion. There is another on Mali from this April--perhaps you've seen it, but in case not, it's here. I find him a thoughtful and insightful writer about art, but of course I wonder what you might make of what he writes, given your own experience of Mali.
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