|
Swiss Woman Kidnapped in Mali's Timbuktu
[An Nahar] Switzerland...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... on Monday confirmed that a female national had been kidnapped in Mali's Timbuktu, the fabled city seized by Islamists following after a coup in the west African nation. A statement by the federal department of foreign affairs (FDFA) in Bern said that authorities were in contact with the woman's family and "were making every effort to ensure the kidnap victim is released unharmed," but did not identify her. Local reports said she was a Christian woman in her 40s named Beatrice who had lived in the ancient city for years and was active in the local community. Officials at the Swiss government's Agency for Cooperation and Development office in Bamako and at the Swiss embassy in Dakar, which is also responsible for Mali, are in touch with local authorities, the FDFA said. The government said it had advised its nationals to leave the country temporarily following the March 22 coup and had been advising against travelling to Mali since December 2009 because of a higher risk of kidnappings. "Because of the deteriorating security situation following the military coup and the advance of the rebels in the north of the country, since March 30 the FDFA has advised the Swiss nationals living in Mali to leave the country temporarily," it said. Posted by: Fred 2012-04-17 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=342939 |