Although Islamists have been dislodged from territory they previously controlled, the legacy of their 2012 takeover has been a more radicalised society that is even less hospitable to Christians than it was before – especially those who have converted to Christianity from Islam. Despite a 2015 peace deal with the government, Islamists continue to pose a threat to Christians (most of whom live in the south), especially in parts of the country that are not controlled by the state. Several Christian missionaries have been kidnapped for ransom in recent years.
Her co-hostage freed a year before; nun meets Pope after Islamists let her leave Mali
After almost 5 years as a captive of an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group in Mali in West Africa, a Colombian nun, Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoti, has been freed. She was flown from Bamako, Mali’s capital, direct to Rome where Vatican Media posted photos of her being greeted by the Pope […]
Swiss woman, hostage almost 5 years, killed by Islamist extremists in Mali
A Swiss missionary Beatrice Stockli – kidnapped from Timbuktu in northern Mali in January 2016 – was killed only weeks before other hostages were freed by Islamist extremists, in an apparent prisoner-hostage swap negotiated by the new transitional government in Mali. News of her execution came from Sophie Petronin, a […]
Kidnapped Colombian nun appears in another hostage video
A new video of the Colombian nun kidnapped in the south of Mali almost a year ago has been released on the Internet. Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoti, of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate, was kidnapped on 7 February 2017 in Karangasso. “We have seen the video and we […]
Mali the ‘epicentre’ of jihadist groups in the Sahel
A Catholic bishop in Mali has highlighted the ongoing insecurity in the country and welcomed the decision to deploy a new multinational stabilisation force. “The security situation in different areas of Mali has been a concern for several months,” Fr. Edmond Dembele, General Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Mali, […]
Mali: ‘Christians can simply be slaughtered’
Sory* was threatened by Islamists when they heard about his work at a church in Djalloube, central Mali, and fled, leaving his family traumatised. “I started to face serious problems when the Islamists heard about me and the conversion of some of the people [from Islam to Christianity],” Sory says. […]
Fears of a security breakdown as Mali’s Catholic churches attacked
Catholics in Mali have suffered a fresh wave of attacks at the hands of gunmen believed to be jihadists, amid a “dramatic” deterioration in security in the centre of the country. Several churches were attacked last month, according to the news agency AFP. In Dobara, 500 miles (800km) north of […]
Mali: Colombian nun ‘not in good health’ after 7 months as hostage
The Colombian nun who was taken hostage in northern Mali in February this year is still alive but her health is suffering, according to reports by Catholic news agency Fides. Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoti “is alive but not in good health. She has problems with a leg and kidney”, […]
Mali Islamist to pay millions in compensation for damaged mausoleums, but nothing for churches
The International Criminal Court has ordered an Islamist leader to pay 2.7m euros ($3.1m) for the destruction of mausoleums in Mali’s northern city of Timbuktu. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi pleaded guilty to ordering the destruction of the historic shrines at the World Heritage Site during the occupation of northern Mali by […]
Kidnapped missionaries appear in video posted by jihadist groups in Africa’s Sahel
A coalition of jihadist groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda released a video showing six foreign hostages, including three missionaries, just hours before France president Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Mali, where France agreed to help support anti-terrorist efforts in the Sahel. According to the US-based monitoring group SITE, the undated 16’50” footage […]
Mali: 2 months on, still no news of kidnapped nun
It’s been more than two months since a Colombian nun was kidnapped in southern Mali, a relatively safe part of the country, which has been mainly unaffected by Islamist attacks. Gloria Argoti, in her sixties, was kidnapped on 7 Feb, when assailants broke into her convent in Karangasso, 300km from […]