MALI NABS TWO KIDNAPPING SUSPECTS BUT MISSES

S E C R E T BAMAKO 000182


NOFORN

RABAT FOR LEGATT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2019
TAGS: PTER PINS PINR PREL ML
SUBJECT: MALI NABS TWO KIDNAPPING SUSPECTS BUT MISSES
ANOTHER

REF: BAMAKO 00171

Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako,
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1.(S/NF) Summary: On March 20 Kidal Chamber of Commerce
president Abdousalam ag Assalat provided additional details
of Mali's March 18 arrest of two individuals allegedly linked
to the January 22 kidnapping of four European tourists. Ag
Assalat confirmed that the arrest operation was facilitated
by Merzouk ag Acherif, a renowned trafficker and Taghat Melet
Tuareg leader who appears to be on a private mission to round
up kidnapping suspects and AQIM facilitators. Ag Assalat
complained that despite being led directly to the door of one
of the alleged kidnappers, Mahama ag Assarid, the Malians
botched the operation, thereby enabling ag Assarid to escape.
The Malians did, however, capture another individual,
Sidamar ag Ilaste, who may be of perhaps more interest than
ag Assarid. Ag Assalat hinted that more arrests were in the
works. End Summary.

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Arrests in Gao
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2.(S/NF) On March 20 Abdousalam ag Assalat told the Embassy
that Merzouk ag Acherif guided Malian security services to
the house of Mahama ag Assarid about 40 KM east of Gao. Ag
Assarid is one of the individuals reportedly implicated in
the kidnapping of four European tourists. Ag Assalat faulted
Malian authorities for failing to capture ag Assarid, stating
that Merzouk had arranged for ag Assarid to exit his
residence in order to be captured, but that Malian forces
botched the operation and lost ag Assarid in the ensuing
confusion. However, the Malians did manage to apprehend two
other individuals who were inside ag Assarid's residence:
Sidamar ag Ilaste and Ibrahim ag Moussa.

3.(S/NF) Ag Assalat had previously told us that he believed
ag Moussa was a false name and that ag Assarid was the
individual actually captured (Ref. A). On March 20 an
evidently disappointed ag Assalat said that, in fact, ag
Moussa was a real individual and that ag Assarid had gotten
away. Ag Assalat appeared to take considerable solace,
however, in the arrest of Sidamar whom he described as a
bigger fish than ag Assarid.

4.(C) A Chamanamas Tuareg, Sidamar ag Ilaste is reportedly
involved in various smuggling and trafficking operations in
northern Mali. He was described to the Embassy as one of the
potential masterminds working behind more amateur traffickers
like ag Assarid. Ag Ilaste suffered a broken leg while
fighting in northern Mali's 1991-1996 rebellion and now walks
with a limp. He apparently has various nicknames, including
"Kassa", "the one with the limp", and perhaps also "one who
talks a lot."

5.(U) French press reported the arrests of two kidnapping
suspects on March 20. The report included a statement from
an unidentified source saying that two and perhaps four
suspects had been arrested.

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More Arrests to Come?
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6.(S/NF) Ag Assalat said Merzouk's next target was Asultan
ould Badi, a half Arab half Tuareg trafficker and AQIM
facilitator who has been linked to the kidnapping of the two
Canadian diplomats. Ag Assalat said that after the operation
against ag Assarid, Merzouk left Gao for the northern Malian
town of In-Khalil, on the border with Algeria, to help Malian
security services track ould Badi. Ag Assalat predicted that
ould Badi's capture could occur within days.

7.(S/NF) Ag Assalat said Merzouk could also capture Alassane
ould Mohamed (aka "Cheibani"),who is the primary suspect in
the December 2000 murder of a DAO civilian employee in
Niamey, Niger, if so requested. Ag Assalat and others have
linked Cheibani to ould Badi and the disappearance of the two
Canadian diplomats. Ag Assalat said he believed Cheibani was
in In-Khalil with ould Badi and that it would be relatively
easy for Merzouk to collar him. Ag Assalat expressed
concern about the Malians' ability or willingness to keep
individuals like Sidamar, ould Badi, or Cheibani in prison
and said that eventually everyone the Malians capture is
either released or "escapes".


MILOVANOVIC