Mali: who are the three Italian hostages kidnapped in the southeast?

Sincina in Mali © RFI

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1 min

Italy is closely following the fate of three of its nationals kidnapped last Thursday in southeastern Mali.

If we still know little about the motivations of the three Italians to live in the region, the transalpine press is nevertheless beginning to provide some details.

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With our correspondent in Rome,

The three Italian hostages are from Potenza, a city in southern Italy, but had been living for several years in Lombardy.

Giovanni Langone, 42, had migrated to Mali a few years ago.

His father Rocco, a former retired worker, and his mother Donata, 63, joined him in 2019, in the small town of Sincina, 300 kilometers south of Bamako.

Their desire was to integrate as much as possible into Malian society.

They had also taken the name of “Coulibaly”, reports the Italian press.

Members of Jehovah's Witnesses, the three Italians had plans to build a place of worship in Sincina.

They were abducted from their house by armed men in the company of a Togolese friend.

In 2018, two Italians - a priest and a tourist - were kidnapped in the Sahel, transiting through Mali before being released in October 2020, notably in the company of the Frenchwoman Sophie Pétronin.

Read also: Three Italians and a Togolese kidnapped in Mali in the town of Sincina

This Monday, May 23, the Rome public prosecutor's office opened an investigation for kidnapping for terrorism purposes.

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• Terrorism