ARREST AND RELEASE OF A CHILD TRAFFICKER IN NIORO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAMAKO 000839 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV ELAB KFRD SOCI ML SUBJECT: ARREST AND RELEASE OF A CHILD TRAFFICKER IN NIORO DU SAHEL ¶1. (SBU) On December 17, Enda-Tiers Monde, an NGO that combats trafficking in children in west Africa, informed the Embassy that Malian authorities in Nioro du Sahel, Koulikoro Region arrested child trafficker Sidamar ag Cherif and rescued eight Tuareg children originally from Kidal. Ag Cherif was reportedly taking the children to a Koranic school in Mauritania that Dawa Islamiyya owns and operates, for which he claimed to have parental consent. When Ag Cherif failed to present the requisite travel documents for the children, he was promptly arrested. The children were subsequently escorted to an Enda Tiers Monde safehouse in Bamako, where they awaited return to Kidal. Enda told the Embassy that a National Assembly Deputy from Kidal agreed with the Ministry for the Advancement of Women and Children (MPFEF) that he would escort the children home. ¶2. (SBU) On December 28, Embassy called the prefect of Nioro, Lieutenant Colonel Falle Tangare, to confirm that ag Cherif remained in custody. Tangare recounted that, shortly after having arrested ag Cherif, he received orders from a superior at the Ministry of Territorial Administration in Bamako to let the trafficker go. Tangare was told that the Ministry had "investigated" the case and determined that the parents of the eight children had, in fact, given their consent to travel with ag Cherif. The fact that ag Cherif had presented false travel documents did not arise as a concern. Following orders, Tangara requested that the prosecutor in Nioro repeal the charges against ag Cherif and subsequently released him. ¶3. (SBU) Rather than being reunited with their families as the Kidal deputy promised, the children had once again been placed in the custody of ag Cherif, who, Tangara said, attempted again to take them to Mauritania. Recognizing the travel documents as false, Mauritanian border authorities refused the group entry. Ag Cherif and the eight children returned to Nioro, where they await another opportunity to cross into Mauritania. ¶4. (SBU) Tangara said he was frustrated about this case, as it was the second time this year ag Cherif had been arrested in Nioro. In June, Enda Tiers Monde rescued a group of 16 children being trafficked by ag Cherif into Mauritania to attend the same school operated by Dawa Islamiyya. The circumstances of ag Cherif's release at that time remain unclear. Asked why he had been ordered to release the trafficker this time, Tangara said questions involving communities in northern Mali were complicated and often lacked transparency. For the sake of avoiding conflict with powerful northern individuals, Tangara said the GOM sometimes turned a blind eye to the illicit activities of those same individuals. -------------- GOM Official Shirks Responsibility -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In a subsequent telephone conversation with Secretary General of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Mamadou Seydou Toure, Toure was emphatic that he had no control over this case and curtly told the Embassy to seek answers from MPFEF, the lead ministry for anti-TIP efforts. Although MPFEF is charged with coordinating anti-TIP activities, it lacks the power and resources to deal with trafficking effectively. Toure, who has been a close contact of the Embassy, dismissed the Embassy's concerns that an official from his ministry may have ordered ag Cherif's release, stating, "Even if your Charge came here I would have nothing to tell him." -------------- Meeting with Justice Minister -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The same afternoon, Charge met with Minister of Justice Maharafa Traore and informed him of the situation, including the fact that Tangara had been ordered by his superiors to release ag Cherif. Charge noted that Mali has slipped to Tier 2 Watchlist status in State Department rankings of countries' efforts to combat trafficking, and stated that U.S. law requires the Department to withhold all but humanitarian assistance from countries that fail to show progress two years in a row. While there are waiver provisions, this could at some point jeopardize spending in such areas as education, economic growth, support for decentralization and democracy, and military capacity building. The Minister said he understood, and noted that any civilized country would not want to see its children treated in this way. Charge mentioned that the secretary general of the Justice Ministry had been helpful in the past BAMAKO 00000839 002 OF 002 on trafficking issues and would follow up with him on this case, but needed the Minister's high level intervention. The Minister indicated he would take the case seriously. BARLERIN