Malian Opposition Leader Still Missing

The United Nations Security Council has called for the “swift liberation” of kidnapped Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cisse and urged the government of Mali and armed groups to accelerate the implementation of a 2015 peace deal. Cisse was captured on March 25, days before Mali’s legislative elections, while campaigning in the Niafounke electoral district in the Timbuktu region. The council called for the 70-year-old’s release in a statement on Tuesday, following its first open meeting in nearly four weeks using video conferencing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Council members also condemned “the terrorist attack” on Malian government forces on Monday in which at least 25 people were killed and six wounded in Bamba in the northern region of Gao.

Source – africa.com