This handout picture taken and released on January 25, 2013 by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows French Foreign Legion's soldiers preparing to leave the Mopti military base. French and Malian troops advanced today on the key Islamist stronghold of Gao after recapturing the northern town of Hombori as the extremists bombed a strategic bridge to thwart a new front planned in the east. - AFP Photo
This handout picture taken and released on January 25, 2013 by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows French Foreign Legion's soldiers preparing to leave the Mopti military base. French and Malian troops advanced today on the key Islamist stronghold of Gao after recapturing the northern town of Hombori as the extremists bombed a strategic bridge to thwart a new front planned in the east. - AFP Photo

GAO: The number-three leader of the armed Islamist group that controlled Timbuktu in northern Mali until last week, Mohamed Moussa Ag Mouhamed, has been arrested near the Algerian border, sources said Sunday.

A Malian security source said the Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith) leader was arrested by a rival armed group and taken to Kidal, the last bastion of rebels targeted by a French-led military operation.

The information was confirmed by a Kidal official, Abdoulaye Toure, though the two sources gave conflicting accounts on which of the region's rival groups had arrested him.

 

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...