I have not read everything on the matter, but as I understand it, the disappearance of Omar the Saharan after his return to Mali is not mysterious - he was simply set free and 'went back to his goats'.

He was not 'extradited' in the correct sense [to face charges in the country which he got sent to - Mali] because he faced no charges in Mali. The crime he was accused of was committed in Mori last November.

He was 'released' by Mori (presumably reluctantly, as they had just given him 12 years?) because those where the demands of MBM (on top of ~€8 mil), to in turn release the last 2 Spanish hostages.

But 'released' or 'set free' does not sound so good so we were given 'extradited'.

It is possible there was some worry that the hostages would have ended up like M. Germaneau (though there is doubt GM was actually executed), so maybe that is why MBM got his way so easily.

The fact that Mori was said to have 'kidnapped' him from Mali to take back and face a trial can only be interpreted as unsportsmanlike. But at least he appeared to get a trial - not all AQ suspects kidnapped in broad daylight in Europe and elsewhere get that so soon.

I suppose Mori knew that asking for him to be arrested by Mali and then extradited to Mori to face a trial was futile.

Omar was accused of getting €15k from MBM to grab the Spanish off the highway. Who knows if he was guilty - the fact that MBM demanded his release suggests that the Moris may have had the right guy - or he was related to MBM in some way.

So I agree, his release does not send a good message about Mali, but a good one about Mori - assuming if what is known is correct and the trial was for real.

As some headline somewhere said: 'AQIM controls the Sahel...'

Ch

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Morocco Overland 4 (2025) • Trans Morocco Trail