Five arrests were made in north Mali on Monday following the abduction and subsequent murders of two French journalists, Ghislane Dupont and Claude Verlon on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
News reports said that the Radio France Internationale reporters were taken in the troubled city of Kidal, just after they finished an interview with a rebel leader in the area. They were first abducted and then killed by gunfire after the car they were in broke down. Their bodies were reportedly found that day 7 miles outside the city, news reports said.
The pair were "coldly assassinated," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said to reporters.
"A crime against journalists is a double crime--it's a crime against people who were coldly assassinated in odious circumstances, but it's also a crime against the freedom to be informed and to inform," Fabius added.
Verlon, 55, served as a sound engineer while Dupont, a 57-year-old, worked as a senior reporter where she covered African affairs for over 25 years, RFI reported.
"Dupont covered the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, from where she was expelled n 2006 in retaliation for her reporting," Committee to Protect Journalists reported. Verlon, meanwhile, joined RFI in 1982 where he traveled with news crews around the world, and was highly respected for his technical skills, news reports said.
"CPJ is shocked and saddened on hearing of the murders of Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, who both dedicated their lives to informing the world about volatile countries and regions," said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. "It also pains us to add Mali to our roster of countries where journalists have been killed for doing their work. Malian and French authorities must do their utmost to bring the murderers to justice."
French troops 'followed footprints in the sand," leading to discovering the dead bodies. The Associated Press reported.
The U.N. Security Council condemned the murders, calling on Malian authorities to ensure the killers are brought to justice, in a statement issued on Sunday.
France led a military intervention into Mali to expel al-Qaeda terrorists from the African country. They have about 3,000 soldiers in the country with Malian troops and U.N. peacekeepers (MINUSMA), Reuters reported.
Verlon's and Dupont's remains are expected to arrive in Paris via a special flight on Tuesday, Reuters also reported.
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