Return of Sophie Pétronin to Mali: outraged reactions in France, her son responds

The former French hostage Sophie (L) on her arrival on French soil surrounded by President E. Macron (L) and Minister Le Drian (D).

GONZALO FUENTES / POOL / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

5 mins

Sophie Pétronin's return to Mali arouses outraged reactions in France.

The government spokesperson speaks of “ 

irresponsibility

 ”, in line with the positions held by executives of the Senate or the National Assembly.

The son of the ex-hostage, Sébastien Pétronin, answered them.

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“ 

We deplore

the return of Sophie Pétronin to Mali

.

"The spokesperson for the French government, Gabriel Attal, did not mince his words, this Wednesday, evoking" 

a form of irresponsibility

 ", vis-à-vis"

 his security 

"but also vis-à-vis" 

the security of our soldiers 

”.

The ex-hostage, who spent four years in the hands of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims in northern Mali, has returned to Bamako since last March.

The information was only revealed this Tuesday in the French media.

It has since aroused outraged reactions.

Shock and astonishment 

Christian Cambon is a senator (LR), chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. Its position is the same as that

of the French government

 : “ 

It is astonishing because I remember very well the conditions under which this lady was first sought out with all the means that our services were able to use. And I especially remember the conditions under which this lady obtained her release. In return, 200 Malian prisoners had to be released, including a number of jihadists with blood on their hands. It is his right, I respect the person. But the political act of going back to his kidnappers is incomprehensible. Since she loves Mali, she stays there and France draws a line on her case. She has the right to do whatever she wants. I simply hope that France will no longer mobilize its resources for the benefit of this woman.

 "

The relatives of Sophie Pétronin explained that the ex-hostage, after her release, was unhappy in Switzerland, and that her small retirement also did not allow her to live there properly.

But many have kept in mind the comments made upon his release.

She had,

on RFI's antenna

, refused to qualify her captors as "jihadists", preferring to speak of "armed opposition groups to the [Malian] regime".

Some, on the far right of the French political spectrum, have not forgiven him for his conversion to Islam either. 

Nicolas Démoulin is a deputy (LRM), he is above all president of the France-Mali friendship group of the National Assembly.

His position is no less harsh vis-à-vis the ex-hostage and his decision to return to live in Mali: " 

I am shocked, I am shocked because I see in this attitude a lot of selfishness with regard to all that has been done for his release a little over a year ago now.

An irresponsible, incomprehensible attitude.

I think especially of all those people who worked for years and years for his release.

And so, this is a decision that is unacceptable to me.

It is a personal desire, I repeat, selfish, it cannot not take into account its exceptional situation, tragic at the time, and leave like that in a personal way for reasons that we can hear, but which in any case, for me, are incomprehensible and not acceptable.

 "

She is in Bamako, but she is not in the desert 

"

This Thursday morning, Sophie Pétronin's son, Sébastien, wanted to defend his mother by restoring certain elements. He, who was personally involved in the release of his mother, and who at the time had wished that she would not return there, finally resolved to help her reach his adopted country in the month last March. On the antenna of our colleagues from BFM, he explained his choice and why the conditions for his mother's return to Mali did not deserve, according to him, the indignant trial that has been done to him for several days.  

Can a mother abandon her daughter?" Then she spent 20 years there, so part of her life is there. I also take this opportunity to clarify a point that may have escaped Messrs [Gabriel] Attal or [Sébastien] Chenu who are spreading in the press. Bamako is a capital. There are, I believe, 8,000 French people living in Mali. She did not decide to return to the desert to go as Mr. Chenu said: ''

She wants to live in Mali, that she goes to live with her executioners'

'. No, she is in Bamako. His executioners are not the Bamakois and the Bamakois. His executioners are not the Malian people. She is in Bamako of course, it is in Mali of course. But she is not in the desert, she is not in Sikasso, she does not take risks. She has just spent six months in Bamako, locked in an apartment. She went out once under escort to go shopping. I do not have the impression that she returned to her tormentors. 

"

Despite RFI's requests, the Malian authorities have not commented on the return of Sophie Pétronin to the country.

Last Friday,

the issue by the national gendarmerie of a search notice

concerning her had provoked the revelation of the presence in Mali of the ex-hostage, more than seven months after his arrival.

The subject of this wanted notice - administrative irregularity or suspicious behavior?

- was not specified.

The Ministry of Security sticks to explaining that it was a question of " 

removing certain ambiguities 

".

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