This should really upset the pro hunting lobby!.
Mali bandits kidnap two in Qatari prince’s entourage
BAMAKO - Bandits in Mali kidnapped two companions of a Qatari prince on a hunting trip in the west African country and are demanding a ransom for their release, a Malian security source said on Tuesday.
Nine heavily armed bandits attacked the convoy some 70 km (44 miles) from the border with Mauritania on Friday, while the prince was at the hunting party’s base on the other side of the frontier.
They took two vehicles and two members of the entourage, the source said, declining to give the hostages’ nationalities.
One vehicle broke down and the bandits abandoned it, leaving a contact telephone number inside, the security source said.
The source could not confirm the prince’s name and Qatari officials declined to comment. Royalty from Gulf states often go to Mali to hunt with falcons, officials say.
Earlier this year a local mayor complained publicly about the environmental impact of their regular trips and Environment Minister Nancouma Keita said the hunters should compensate local communities by helping to build schools and infrastructure.
The security source said some hunters enter the country without official authorisation via Mauritania or Algeria.
Authorities in Mali, a country of desert, rugged hills and savanna, have not said whether they were informed about this visit. Malian newspaper L’Essor reported that another prince was currently hunting in the north of the country.