Ghislaine Dupont, left, and Claude Verlon were reportedly abducted after interviewing a rebel leader in Kidal, Mali
Days after two French journalists were killed in northern Mali,
authorities rounded up dozens of suspects and a group linked to al Qaeda
claimed responsibility for the deaths.
At least 30 suspects were
seized in desert camps near the town of Kidal and taken to the local
French army base for questioning, three officials in Mali said. The
officials did not want to be named because they are not authorized to
talk to the media.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM) has allegedly claimed responsibility for the killings,
according to Sahara Media news agency in Mauritania. AQIM operates in
northern Africa and the group's statements have shown up before on the
Sahara outlet.
Radio France
International journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon were
abducted in front of the home of a member of the Tuareg rebels' National
Movement of a Liberation of Azawad on Saturday, RFI reported.
They were found dead the same day. Their bodies arrived in Paris on Tuesday.
Kidal was one of the
strongholds of the Islamic militant Tuareg uprising last year that
plunged Mali into chaos after a military-led coup. Following the coup,
Tuareg rebels occupied the northern half of the country.
A response to "crimes" against Muslims in Azawad
AQIM said the killings
were in response to the "crimes" perpetrated by France as well as
African and international troops against Muslims in Azawad.
Azawad is an area in
northern Mali that separatist Tuareg rebels describe as the cradle of
their nomadic civilization. AQIM said that this is just the beginning
and that French President Francois Hollande will pay more in response to
this "new crusade" against Muslims, according to the purported claim.
As part of France's
intervention this year to flush out militants in Mali, the French
military secured the area around Kidal. Hollande called an emergency
meeting with ministers Sunday after the killings.
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