Madar (Nouakchott) - A group calling itself the "follow-up committee for the file of the five abducted in Mali" urged President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani to secure the release of five Mauritanians arrested by the Malian army six months ago, or to disclose their fate, the Al Akhbar agency reported on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Committee head Mohamedou Ould Aabar said the Malian army arrested the five on April 27 at the Dimara market before handing them to the State Security service, adding that their families have received no information since.
If they are accused of anything, they should be tried in court, he said, and if they have died, the Malian army and Mauritanian authorities should announce it, because the families "live in total darkness".
He also addressed his appeal to Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay and Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug. No official response had been made public by Thursday morning, according to local media.
