This is old meat perhaps, but I am surprised noone has uncovered the real story about the attack near Aleg xmas eve 2007.
We applied for Mali visas in Nouakchott on January 2, and when we talked to the consulate secretary about the security situation he opened a drawer and took out pictures (from their visa applications) of the French tourists who were killed/wounded - and what was publizised as an attack on a vacationing French family picnicking with children was likely something else.
The photos showed a middleaged man with two fullgrown sons. The fourth was also fullgrown, a friend of the family.
The secretary implied that it was a business deal gone wrong, and that perhaps they were dealing with arms.
I can only speculate, but I have never seen any updates on what really went down.
We passed Aleg peacefully two days later.
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