Sixteen months of captivity in Mali for the French journalist Olivier Dubois

French journalist Olivier Dubois in Nioro, Mali in September 2020. © MICHELE CATTANI/AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

He just spent his second birthday in captivity.

Olivier Dubois turned 48 on August 6, and he has been a hostage in Mali for 16 months now.

The French journalist was kidnapped on April 8, 2021 in Gao while he was reporting.

Collaborator of

, Le

and

, Olivier Dubois has since appeared in two videos in which he explains that he was retained by the Jnim, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims led by Iyad Ag Ghaly and linked to al- Qaeda.

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and France claim

to be committed to his release, but still do not give any details on the actions taken in this direction.

While waiting for him to find his freedom, RFI gives the floor to Olivier Dubois' family every 8th of the month.

In the last

, Olivier Dubois explained that he could hear these messages, where he is, and that they were obviously of great support to him.

Déborah Al Hawi Al Masri, companion of Olivier Dubois and mother of his children

For your day of commemoration, no truce in our mobilization.

From Avignon to Marseille, from Briançon to Alpe d'Huez and all the way to the capital, your name, Olivier, has now toured France.

Via our petition “Free Olivier Dubois”, one of the signatories wrote to us that if tomorrow, he was in your place, he would very much like everyone to mobilize for him.

Because not forgetting Olivier Dubois is not enough.

That's why, for seven months, brother, more than 110,000 people, by your side and ours, wish, ask and demand, just like us, that this silence which surrounds you is finally broken, and that you are finally liberated, wherever you are.

Mom, Benjamin and I send our thoughts to you.

- Nothing to celebrate on your birthday, again.

Sixteen months and almost 500 days that you are deprived of freedom and contact with us.

With your sister, we continue to advance our actions so that you do not fall into oblivion.

Avignon Festival, Tour de France, we still have it under our feet.

Don't lose hope, because no one can take it away from you.

See you soon.

Canèle Bernard, one of Olivier Dubois' sisters, and her companion Benjamin

Canèle Bernard, one of Olivier Dubois' sisters, and her companion Benjamin

David Bache

Mother of Olivier Dubois

André-Georges and Valérye Dubois, father and sister of Olivier Dubois

“

Free Olivier Dubois”:

a postcard at the Elysée

The mother, sister and brother-in-law of Olivier Dubois also asked, on Friday August 5, those who want to support him, to obtain “ 

” and to write this message on it: “

Participants are then invited to send this postcard to Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

" 

," says the statement from the family, who also posted a video on YouTube to promote the operation.

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• mali

• Terrorism

• Journalism