Mali army seizes 2,000 radios north of Timbuktu
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Soleil and Bamada.net
The Malian army seized 2,000 portable radios, a pick-up and eight motorbikes north of Timbuktu during Operation Dougoukoloko. The interception, carried out on 9 November, also led to the detention of a man suspected of transporting the equipment to armed groups, according to the Malian Armed Forces.
The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) intercepted 2,000 TYT portable radios, a pick-up vehicle and eight Apsonic motorbikes north of Timbuktu during an operation carried out on Monday 9 November. The equipment was intended, according to the Malian military command, for armed groups operating in the Timbuktu region.
An individual was detained during Operation Dougoukoloko. According to statements attributed to him by the FAMa, he had transported the consignment from Bassikounou, in eastern Mauritania, to a locality in the Timbuktu region after being recruited as a driver for 50,000 CFA francs. The suspect reportedly said that other people were to collect the equipment, without knowing its final destination.
The interception was carried out under the supervision of Colonel Cheick Abdoul Kader Diarra, head of operations of Sector 3’s Coordination Centre. The FAMa described the seizure as an operation aimed at weakening the logistical and communications capabilities of armed groups in the north of the country.
The FAMa said they were continuing surveillance and security operations in this part of Malian territory.
