Mali Warning
This news was passed on to me from the Swiss Forum:
"A warning for all Mali drivers: We, a small group of Germans have on 12.January.2004, approx.. 60 km northeast from Timbuktu met a group of Algerian Islamisists. They were armed with 3 Pick-ups with bolted on heavy machine guns and small weapons. They did not have any intention to kidnap us.
Since they however had an engine failure and saw the risk that we might inform the Malian military when driving past the city, they requested we stay overnight one night in their camp.
Without doubt it became clear they were [involved?] with the same group, which geiselte [abducted?] the 32 tourists in Algeria "
They may have been the crew who threatened the Dakar Rally..
I've also heard of another Italian group who went across Alg to Bordj Mokatar, Gao and back up via Agadez-In Guezzam.
No probs and no Alg guides on the way down or back (apart from In Salah convoy), but a later group in Jan was told to take a guide from
In Guezzam right up to Taleb.
Chris S
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