Masked men abduct prominent Malian lawyer in Bamako

A well-known Malian lawyer and politician critical of the ruling junta was abducted overnight by masked men in the capital Bamako, members of his family told AFP Sunday.

His disappearance comes as Mali's junta faces a major crisis following large-scale attacks on several of its strategic positions last weekend and the killing of its defence minister.

The assaults are being carried out by Tuareg separatists and Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists.

Tall was a member of the M5-RFP movement, a key player in the protests that led to the toppling of former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Initially an ally of the military officers who seized power in 2020, he subsequently distanced himself from the junta, becoming a vocal critic.

"Two men in balaclavas came to take him away, they left with him," a family member who witnessed the scene told AFP, adding that the family had filed a complaint for abduction.

Tall's wife, who attempted to take photos of the episode, was manhandled by the masked men and had her phone taken away, another family member told AFP.

Last weekend's attacks targeted several strategic positions held by the junta and army across Mali, notably in Bamako and the nearby garrison town Kati, and left at least 23 people dead.

Civilians and children were among those killed and injured during the attacks, according to UNICEF.

On Friday, the prosecutor's office said it had "solid evidence" of "complicity" of certain military personnel, accusing them of helping with the "planning, coordination and execution" of the attacks.

It also alleged that exiled opposition politician Oumar Mariko, a former lawmaker and presidential candidate, had been involved.

Tall is serving as a defence lawyer for several military officers arrested in recent months by the junta on charges of "attempting to destabilise state institutions".

He has also filed legal challenges in various courts to contest the junta's decision to dissolve political parties.