The main opposition leader in Mali Soumaïla Cissé and his entourage of about 30 have “disappeared” with no trace of their whereabouts. Reports indicate that the veteran politician and his entourage were abducted on March 25 in the Timbuktu region and have not been heard from since then.
The veteran politician’s abduction occurred just days before Mali’s Parliamentary elections, a timing that raises suspicion of government’s involvement.
The 70-year-old’s son, Bocar Cisse, said it was more than five weeks after the kidnapping when the family was contacted by the committee set up to negotiate the politician’s release.
“They say they are negotiating, but when we ask them for more information they don’t tell us anything,” Bocar Cisse said. “We don’t know anything, we don’t know if he is dead or alive,” added the 40-year-old, speaking on behalf of his mother and three brothers.
Soumaïla Cissé served in the government of Mali as Minister of Finance from 1993 to 2000. He thrice stood unsuccessfully as a presidential candidate, in 2002, 2013 and 2018; on both occasions he was defeated in a second round of voting. Since 2014 he has been President of the Union for the Republic and Democracy, a political party.
“You can look at it like John Dramani Mahama in Ghana suddenly disappearing with his entourage while on the campaign trail in support of his candidates,” said DNT’s Julius Ouya.
Meanwhile the United Nations and other world bodies have called for cisse’s immediate release.
