Europeans Kidnapped
January 23, 2009
Mali officials said one German, a Briton and two Swiss were taken by rebel gunmen in the harsh desert region of Manaka Cercle on Thursday, the BBC reported.
A Malian military official said Thursday the rebels were from a nomadic Tuareg tribe that inhabits the area, news agency Reuters reported.
Tuareg militias have been battling the government in the north of the country for over a year, demanding greater rights for their people.
German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported in its online version the German as a 75-year-old woman from the state of Hesse.
The German foreign office confirmed that a German national had been missing since noon Thursday, while the Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed that two of its nationals had been taken.
The tourists were travelling in a three-car convoy through the eastern part of the western African state. The first car escaped, but the other two were seized, the BBC said.
The foreign office has specifically warned against travelling through the regions where the four tourists were kidnapped.
On Thursday, the Malian government said its forces had killed 31Tuareg who attacked an army base.