Two French journalists killed in Mali town of Kidal

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.
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.
Ambeiry Ag Rhissa, a local official of
the MNLA ethnic Tuareg separatist
group, said the pair had just left his
house after interviewing him when
they were kidnapped.
"I heard an unusual noise in the
street," he told France 24. "Their car
was parked in front of my house,
about 10m from the door.
"I went out to see what was
happening. Once I got to the door, I
saw a car, a pick-up, parked next to
theirs. There was a man on the ground
who had a weapon. He immediately
pointed it at me and said: "Go back
inside, go back in!"
"So I went in, and shortly afterwards
they took off with the two journalists.
They left in a great hurry."
He said he did not see how many
kidnappers were there, but other
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; a French attack
helicopter was seen above Kidal a few
hours after the abduction occurred.
A spokesman for France's armed
forces said its troops never had any
visual or physical contact with the
gunmen following the abduction.
Two helicopters flew over the area
after a French patrol found the
journalists' bodies on a desert track
some 10km (six miles) to the east of
Kidal, Col Gilles Jarron said.
The French journalists were
interviewing a political leader before
their abduction
Nicolas Champeaux, a journalist with
RFI's African service, said he and his
colleagues were "devastated" by what
had happened.
He called 57-year-old Ghislaine Dupont
a "relentless, tenacious reporter" with
a great sense of humour who was
"always encouraging us to dig more, to
look out for more, to get closer to the
action on the front line but also to
investigate".
Sound technician Claude Verlon, 55,
was a true professional who was "fun
and interesting to work with". "He was
also used to difficult areas" and "loved
challenges", Mr Champeaux said.
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.
A spokesman for Mali's government
said it condemned "in the strongest
terms this barbaric and cowardly act"
and "reiterates its determination to
continue to fight against terrorism and
organised crime."
Their deaths bring to 42 the number of
journalists around the world killed so
far in 2013 .
Kidnappings
Kidal which has a population of about
10,000 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 $26m ransom.
Hostage-taking has become a big
money-making business by extremist
groups in the Sahara, say observers.
Much of it goes towards buying the
means to carry out more kidnappings:
Procuring four-wheel drive jeeps, fuel,
weapons and GPS systems.
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.

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