Elainera
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Found Alive Burkina Faso (Africa) - Edith Blais, 34 & Luca Tacchetto, 30, Canada & Italy tourists, 15 Dec 2018
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ZaZara
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Hombres armados atacan una base del Ejército de Burkina Faso en el norte del país
Armed men attack a Burkina Faso Army base in the north of the country
On Monday, armed men attacked a Burkina Faso army base in the town of Nassoumbou, located in the northern province of Soum, without there being any reports of fatalities at the moment.
The attack was carried out one day after another against the town of Sikiré, in the same province, according to the local news portal Burkina 24. Sunday's attack is said to have resulted in several deaths and injuries.
BBM
Burkina Faso attack kills 10: security source
Ten people were killed Sunday in northern Burkina Faso in a "terrorist attack", according to a security source and a local elected official.
"Around 10 armed individuals in the morning carried out a terrorist attack in the village of Sikire," which left "10 dead and two seriously wounded," a security source told AFP.
Sikire is in the Sahel region and is frequently a target of Islamist attacks.
According to a local official in Arbinda, about 20 kilometres away, contacted by phone from Ouagadougou, "the assailants armed with Kalashnikovs made several tours of the village opening fire on the inhabitants."
"They ransacked and set fire to shops and other businesses and took motorbikes," added the official who requested anonymity.
He said the inhabitants had stayed holed up in the homes "in panic over these attacks which have been increasing in the area," he said.
On January 10, 12 people were killed in attack in Gasseliki, a village around 30 kilometres south of Arbinda.
BBM
Armed men attack a Burkina Faso Army base in the north of the country
On Monday, armed men attacked a Burkina Faso army base in the town of Nassoumbou, located in the northern province of Soum, without there being any reports of fatalities at the moment.
The attack was carried out one day after another against the town of Sikiré, in the same province, according to the local news portal Burkina 24. Sunday's attack is said to have resulted in several deaths and injuries.
BBM
Burkina Faso attack kills 10: security source
Ten people were killed Sunday in northern Burkina Faso in a "terrorist attack", according to a security source and a local elected official.
"Around 10 armed individuals in the morning carried out a terrorist attack in the village of Sikire," which left "10 dead and two seriously wounded," a security source told AFP.
Sikire is in the Sahel region and is frequently a target of Islamist attacks.
According to a local official in Arbinda, about 20 kilometres away, contacted by phone from Ouagadougou, "the assailants armed with Kalashnikovs made several tours of the village opening fire on the inhabitants."
"They ransacked and set fire to shops and other businesses and took motorbikes," added the official who requested anonymity.
He said the inhabitants had stayed holed up in the homes "in panic over these attacks which have been increasing in the area," he said.
On January 10, 12 people were killed in attack in Gasseliki, a village around 30 kilometres south of Arbinda.
BBM
cybervampira
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There’s still no trace of Canadian, Italian tourists missing in Burkina Faso
Six weeks on, there’s still no word on the whereabouts of Canadian Edith Blais and Luca Tacchetto of Italy, the travelers who went missing in Burkina Faso and haven’t been heard from since December 15.
Canadian officials say they are pressing on with the case and believe Blais is alive in the absence of any reason or information proving otherwise; Italian authorities too are seeking Tacchetto, who was remembered at a candlelight vigil organized by friends of the family last week in Padua.
[...]
Six weeks on, there’s still no word on the whereabouts of Canadian Edith Blais and Luca Tacchetto of Italy, the travelers who went missing in Burkina Faso and haven’t been heard from since December 15.
Canadian officials say they are pressing on with the case and believe Blais is alive in the absence of any reason or information proving otherwise; Italian authorities too are seeking Tacchetto, who was remembered at a candlelight vigil organized by friends of the family last week in Padua.
[...]
ZaZara
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Burkina Faso, attacco jihadista nel nord del Paese: 14 civili morti | Notizie.it
Burkina Faso, jihadist attack in the north of the country: 14 civilians killed
In response to the terrorist attack, the army carried out air raids in three northern provinces, killing 146 terrorists.
The result of the Jihadist attack on Monday, 4 February in northern Burkina Faso, in Kain, in the province of Yaenta, was the death of 14 civilians. This was reported by the army of the West African country. The military reacted with air raids in three northern provinces killing "146 terrorists" according to Askanews. The terrorist offensive took place prior to the G5 of the Sahel (in the presence of the heads of state of Niger, Mali, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso), scheduled for February 5 in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. The 4th of February is only the last in a series of jihadist attacks: since 2015 almost 300 people have died.
The kidnappers of four Red Cross members, whose tracks have been lost since Saturday, February 2, would be jihadists. The Red Cross workers were on a humanitarian mission in Djibo (in the north of the country) when they were to be kidnapped by terrorists.
The hostages could now be in Mali, according to the newspaper Fraternité Matin quoted by Askanews.
Last December 15, Burkina Faso was also the location of the disappearance of the Italian architect Luca Tacchetto and his Canadian girlfriend Edith Blais. The two were on their way to Togo to volunteer. "The most likely thing is that he was kidnapped for political or economic purposes, not by jihadists," the father of the 30-year-old declared a few weeks ago to the Mattino di Padova while the Public Prosecutor's Office in Rome had opened a file for kidnapping for the purpose of terrorism.
BBM
No news about Luca and Edith.
Burkina Faso, jihadist attack in the north of the country: 14 civilians killed
In response to the terrorist attack, the army carried out air raids in three northern provinces, killing 146 terrorists.
The result of the Jihadist attack on Monday, 4 February in northern Burkina Faso, in Kain, in the province of Yaenta, was the death of 14 civilians. This was reported by the army of the West African country. The military reacted with air raids in three northern provinces killing "146 terrorists" according to Askanews. The terrorist offensive took place prior to the G5 of the Sahel (in the presence of the heads of state of Niger, Mali, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso), scheduled for February 5 in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. The 4th of February is only the last in a series of jihadist attacks: since 2015 almost 300 people have died.
The kidnappers of four Red Cross members, whose tracks have been lost since Saturday, February 2, would be jihadists. The Red Cross workers were on a humanitarian mission in Djibo (in the north of the country) when they were to be kidnapped by terrorists.
The hostages could now be in Mali, according to the newspaper Fraternité Matin quoted by Askanews.
Last December 15, Burkina Faso was also the location of the disappearance of the Italian architect Luca Tacchetto and his Canadian girlfriend Edith Blais. The two were on their way to Togo to volunteer. "The most likely thing is that he was kidnapped for political or economic purposes, not by jihadists," the father of the 30-year-old declared a few weeks ago to the Mattino di Padova while the Public Prosecutor's Office in Rome had opened a file for kidnapping for the purpose of terrorism.
BBM
No news about Luca and Edith.
ZaZara
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SCOMPARSA LUCA ED EDITH: IN BURKINA INVESTIGATORI DAL CANADA
The searches continue for Luca Tacchetto, the young architect from Vigonza who disappeared in Burkina Faso in mid-December together with his Canadian travel companion Edith Blais, but on the security front the situation in Burkina Faso becomes increasingly critical.
Canada, the other country engaged in investigations together with the Farnesina and the local police forces, has sent four State Police investigators to Africa to reinforce a large team active in the investigation. This team is also collaborating with volunteers from the non-profit associations of Venice in the area. The investigations continue on the Italian side with the utmost reserve: the most accredited hypothesis remains that of the kidnapping, as stated in the file opened by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome, which has the competence for Italians abroad.
The investigations are carried out in a difficult context: in various areas of Burkina Faso, where attacks by radicalized gangs follow one another, the Government has declared a state of emergency, and after the murder a few weeks ago of a Canadian geologist who was abducted while working in a mining site, the local media report the disappearance of four Red Cross volunteers who were heading to a northern province a few dozen kilometers from the border with Mali on a humanitarian mission.
BBM
The searches continue for Luca Tacchetto, the young architect from Vigonza who disappeared in Burkina Faso in mid-December together with his Canadian travel companion Edith Blais, but on the security front the situation in Burkina Faso becomes increasingly critical.
Canada, the other country engaged in investigations together with the Farnesina and the local police forces, has sent four State Police investigators to Africa to reinforce a large team active in the investigation. This team is also collaborating with volunteers from the non-profit associations of Venice in the area. The investigations continue on the Italian side with the utmost reserve: the most accredited hypothesis remains that of the kidnapping, as stated in the file opened by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome, which has the competence for Italians abroad.
The investigations are carried out in a difficult context: in various areas of Burkina Faso, where attacks by radicalized gangs follow one another, the Government has declared a state of emergency, and after the murder a few weeks ago of a Canadian geologist who was abducted while working in a mining site, the local media report the disappearance of four Red Cross volunteers who were heading to a northern province a few dozen kilometers from the border with Mali on a humanitarian mission.
BBM
ZaZara
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"Padre Dall'Oglio vivo"
Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, the Jesuit kidnapped on July 29, 2013 while in Raqqa, Syria, would be alive. This is what the British newspaper The Times writes, citing high-level Kurdish sources, according to which the members of the Islamic State (Is) are seeking an agreement with the Kurdish-Arab forces supported by the United States surrounding them, requesting a safe escape route in exchange for the release of some hostages whom they claim to have in their hands.
Among these - the newspaper points out - are "the British journalist John Cantlie, an Italian priest, Paolo Dall'Oglio, 64 years of age, and a nurse of the Red Cross from New Zealand." The three, the Times recalls, were separately kidnapped during the days of the rise of the terrorist group in Syria.
Two days ago, the British Undersecretary of the Interior, Ben Wallace, declared in a press briefing that Cantlie, who was captured by the Islamic State more than six years ago, is still alive. The journalist is known to have appeared in a series of ISIS propaganda videos, but there has been no news since his last appearance in 2016. In the last video he appeared in Mosul, in northern Iraq.
An "important glimmer, even if there has nothing been confirmed yet," Francesca Dall'Oglio, the priest's sister, told the AdnKronos about the indiscretion reported by the Times, which was welcomed by the priest's relatives with prudent hope. "I have always hoped that Paul would be alive. We really hope that he is alive even though there is still nothing confirmed by the Crisis Unit of the Farnesina."
The Syrian Human Rights Observatory has denied the news that negotiations are underway to free Father Oglio and the British journalist John Cantlie in exchange for a safe passage to a safe area for the remaining militants of ISIS and their families in the area east of the Euphrate River in Syria. The Observatory cites sources from the Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS), the Arab Kurdish alliance supported by the US-led international military coalition in the fight against ISIS. On the official website of the Observatory, however, the organization does not refer to the current conditions of dall'Oglio. The campaigners recall that in 2015 they had obtained information from a former member of ISIS, who had claimed to have seen with his own eyes the Italian Jesuit in a prison controlled by the Uzbek battalion of the jihadist group to the west of the city of al-Tabqah in the outskirts of Raqqa.
"I hope he is alive and well but it is really difficult to believe this news," international campaigner Hussam Eesa, founder of the group 'Raqqa is silently massacred', affirms to Aki-Adnkronos. He specifies that he is in Europe and that he is in contact with "the team that is still in Syria," and he declares that he has no recent news on Father Dall'Oglio. He is skeptical about the fate of the Jesuit because the spaces of operation of ISIS in Syria are very limited. "There is no room for the families (of the militants, ed.) of ISIS, how can they then keep hostages?" according to the founder of the group created to denounce the crimes of the Islamic State in what used to be the 'capital' of the group in northern Syria. According to Eesa, the jihadist group actually controls only "a small area."
OTHER ITALIANS - In addition to Father Dall'Oglio, there are at least three other Italians of whom there is no news: Luca Tacchetto, Silvia Romano and Father Pier Luigi Maccalli. The first one, 30 years of age and from Vigonza, has been missing in Burkina Faso since 15 December together with his Canadian friend Edith Blais. They left on 20 November for a trip to West Africa, the two had arrived in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso, with a car, a Megan Scenic with Italian license plate, and next they were headed to the capital Ouagadougou. Canada and Italy believe that the two have been kidnapped.
On November 20, volunteer Silvia Romano disappeared in Kenya. She was kidnapped by an armed commando in the village of Chakama, about 70 km from Malindi. The girl had arrived in Africa with a project of the non-profit association Africa Milele, which works in the African country on projects to support children.
Since 17 September there has been no news of Father Pier Luigi Maccalli, priest of the Society for African Missions (SMA). The 57-year-old missionary from Cremona was presumably kidnapped in Niger by jihadists of Fulani ethnicity, while he was in the parish of Bomoanga, diocese of Niamey. In December, unverified sources informed the Sma that the priest was still alive, but there is no confirmed information on where he is being held nor about the measures being taken to free him.
BBM
If Luca and Edith are still alive, they may unfortunately be in captivity for a long, long time to come and their families may have no news of them at all, as in the case of Father Dall'Oglio. Six years with nothing!
Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, the Jesuit kidnapped on July 29, 2013 while in Raqqa, Syria, would be alive. This is what the British newspaper The Times writes, citing high-level Kurdish sources, according to which the members of the Islamic State (Is) are seeking an agreement with the Kurdish-Arab forces supported by the United States surrounding them, requesting a safe escape route in exchange for the release of some hostages whom they claim to have in their hands.
Among these - the newspaper points out - are "the British journalist John Cantlie, an Italian priest, Paolo Dall'Oglio, 64 years of age, and a nurse of the Red Cross from New Zealand." The three, the Times recalls, were separately kidnapped during the days of the rise of the terrorist group in Syria.
Two days ago, the British Undersecretary of the Interior, Ben Wallace, declared in a press briefing that Cantlie, who was captured by the Islamic State more than six years ago, is still alive. The journalist is known to have appeared in a series of ISIS propaganda videos, but there has been no news since his last appearance in 2016. In the last video he appeared in Mosul, in northern Iraq.
An "important glimmer, even if there has nothing been confirmed yet," Francesca Dall'Oglio, the priest's sister, told the AdnKronos about the indiscretion reported by the Times, which was welcomed by the priest's relatives with prudent hope. "I have always hoped that Paul would be alive. We really hope that he is alive even though there is still nothing confirmed by the Crisis Unit of the Farnesina."
The Syrian Human Rights Observatory has denied the news that negotiations are underway to free Father Oglio and the British journalist John Cantlie in exchange for a safe passage to a safe area for the remaining militants of ISIS and their families in the area east of the Euphrate River in Syria. The Observatory cites sources from the Syrian Democratic Forces (FDS), the Arab Kurdish alliance supported by the US-led international military coalition in the fight against ISIS. On the official website of the Observatory, however, the organization does not refer to the current conditions of dall'Oglio. The campaigners recall that in 2015 they had obtained information from a former member of ISIS, who had claimed to have seen with his own eyes the Italian Jesuit in a prison controlled by the Uzbek battalion of the jihadist group to the west of the city of al-Tabqah in the outskirts of Raqqa.
"I hope he is alive and well but it is really difficult to believe this news," international campaigner Hussam Eesa, founder of the group 'Raqqa is silently massacred', affirms to Aki-Adnkronos. He specifies that he is in Europe and that he is in contact with "the team that is still in Syria," and he declares that he has no recent news on Father Dall'Oglio. He is skeptical about the fate of the Jesuit because the spaces of operation of ISIS in Syria are very limited. "There is no room for the families (of the militants, ed.) of ISIS, how can they then keep hostages?" according to the founder of the group created to denounce the crimes of the Islamic State in what used to be the 'capital' of the group in northern Syria. According to Eesa, the jihadist group actually controls only "a small area."
OTHER ITALIANS - In addition to Father Dall'Oglio, there are at least three other Italians of whom there is no news: Luca Tacchetto, Silvia Romano and Father Pier Luigi Maccalli. The first one, 30 years of age and from Vigonza, has been missing in Burkina Faso since 15 December together with his Canadian friend Edith Blais. They left on 20 November for a trip to West Africa, the two had arrived in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso, with a car, a Megan Scenic with Italian license plate, and next they were headed to the capital Ouagadougou. Canada and Italy believe that the two have been kidnapped.
On November 20, volunteer Silvia Romano disappeared in Kenya. She was kidnapped by an armed commando in the village of Chakama, about 70 km from Malindi. The girl had arrived in Africa with a project of the non-profit association Africa Milele, which works in the African country on projects to support children.
Since 17 September there has been no news of Father Pier Luigi Maccalli, priest of the Society for African Missions (SMA). The 57-year-old missionary from Cremona was presumably kidnapped in Niger by jihadists of Fulani ethnicity, while he was in the parish of Bomoanga, diocese of Niamey. In December, unverified sources informed the Sma that the priest was still alive, but there is no confirmed information on where he is being held nor about the measures being taken to free him.
BBM
If Luca and Edith are still alive, they may unfortunately be in captivity for a long, long time to come and their families may have no news of them at all, as in the case of Father Dall'Oglio. Six years with nothing!
La ministre Bibeau «espère» qu'Edith Blais est toujours vivante
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau "hopes that Edith Blais [is] still alive".
This was stated Wednesday morning Mrs. Bideau, who is the member for Compton-Stanstead, Estrie. She was then questioned about the progress of the investigation of the Canadian authorities in Burkina Faso, where the Sherbrookoise has disappeared since December 15th.
"We take this very seriously. I met his sister and his mother two days ago. We are in constant contact with them and the government is doing its utmost to find it, "said the minister.
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau "hopes that Edith Blais [is] still alive".
This was stated Wednesday morning Mrs. Bideau, who is the member for Compton-Stanstead, Estrie. She was then questioned about the progress of the investigation of the Canadian authorities in Burkina Faso, where the Sherbrookoise has disappeared since December 15th.
"We take this very seriously. I met his sister and his mother two days ago. We are in constant contact with them and the government is doing its utmost to find it, "said the minister.
ZaZara
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La ministre Bibeau «espère» qu'Edith Blais est toujours vivante
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau "trusts that Edith Blais is still alive."
That is what Ms. Bideau, who is the MP for Compton-Stanstead in the Estrie region, said on Wednesday morning. She was questioned about the progress of the investigation by the Canadian authorities in Burkina Faso, where the Sherbrooke woman has been missing since December 15.
"We take this very seriously. I met her sister and mother two days ago. We are in constant contact with them and the government is really doing its utmost to find her," according to the Minister.
Edith Blais, 34, and her travelling companion, Luca Tacchetto, 30, from Venice, Italy, have been missing for almost two months. The focus appears to be on theory of kidnapping.
BBM
International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau "trusts that Edith Blais is still alive."
That is what Ms. Bideau, who is the MP for Compton-Stanstead in the Estrie region, said on Wednesday morning. She was questioned about the progress of the investigation by the Canadian authorities in Burkina Faso, where the Sherbrooke woman has been missing since December 15.
"We take this very seriously. I met her sister and mother two days ago. We are in constant contact with them and the government is really doing its utmost to find her," according to the Minister.
Edith Blais, 34, and her travelling companion, Luca Tacchetto, 30, from Venice, Italy, have been missing for almost two months. The focus appears to be on theory of kidnapping.
BBM
ZaZara
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Luca ed Edith, due mesi di silenzio Le mosse per ritrovare i ragazzi
Luca and Edith, two months of silence.
PADOVA - In Luca Tacchetto's original plans the dream journey would already have been over. The thirty-year-old architect from Padua, who left Italy by car on 20 November and disappeared in Burkina Faso between 15 and 16 December, should have returned a few weeks ago already. That dream, however, has turned into a disturbing mystery. Where are the son of the former mayor of Vigonza and his Canadian traveling companion Edith Blais? It's been exactly two months since the last contact with their families.
The two young people have disappeared along with their car, the old Renault Megane that Luca seems to have wanted to sell and then return by plane. "From the gossip circulating here, the car would have been found in the north of the country. Three different people told me, but these are just rumors," says Patrick Gagnon, a Canadian businessman who lives in Burkina. However, there is not even a shadow of confirmation of these rumors.
BBM
Luca and Edith, two months of silence.
PADOVA - In Luca Tacchetto's original plans the dream journey would already have been over. The thirty-year-old architect from Padua, who left Italy by car on 20 November and disappeared in Burkina Faso between 15 and 16 December, should have returned a few weeks ago already. That dream, however, has turned into a disturbing mystery. Where are the son of the former mayor of Vigonza and his Canadian traveling companion Edith Blais? It's been exactly two months since the last contact with their families.
The two young people have disappeared along with their car, the old Renault Megane that Luca seems to have wanted to sell and then return by plane. "From the gossip circulating here, the car would have been found in the north of the country. Three different people told me, but these are just rumors," says Patrick Gagnon, a Canadian businessman who lives in Burkina. However, there is not even a shadow of confirmation of these rumors.
BBM
What worries me about the couple is the lack of a ransom. Islamic militants tend to fall into two general groups:
- Severe jihaders whose sole purpose is to kill westerners, destroy what they deem to be western cultural influences and kill ‘westernized locals’. Ransom payments are of secondary- or even lower importance to them.
- More casual type Jihaders who are in it for the ideology and the money. Ransom payments are very important and westerners are sought out not to be attacked per se, but to be kidnapped and ransomed. Other income includes extorting local motorists at check points, collecting protection money, looting in bandit style attacks. They usually only commit just enough religiously motivated attacks / murders to give them their needed Jihadi “street creds”- or in the case of the rural ones, Jihadi “desert creds”.
Historically, most jihaders in the region were the more casual kind. The lack of ransom could indicate an ominous trend that the casual groups are being displaced by the severe ones.
- Severe jihaders whose sole purpose is to kill westerners, destroy what they deem to be western cultural influences and kill ‘westernized locals’. Ransom payments are of secondary- or even lower importance to them.
- More casual type Jihaders who are in it for the ideology and the money. Ransom payments are very important and westerners are sought out not to be attacked per se, but to be kidnapped and ransomed. Other income includes extorting local motorists at check points, collecting protection money, looting in bandit style attacks. They usually only commit just enough religiously motivated attacks / murders to give them their needed Jihadi “street creds”- or in the case of the rural ones, Jihadi “desert creds”.
Historically, most jihaders in the region were the more casual kind. The lack of ransom could indicate an ominous trend that the casual groups are being displaced by the severe ones.
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ZaZara
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Troppi giovani volontari allo sbaraglio in Paesi ad alto rischio - Africa Express: notizie dal continente dimenticato
Too many young volunteers disembarking on trips in high-risk countries
The kidnapping of the volunteer Silvia Costanza Romano, that happened in Chakama, in north-west Kenya, was followed - only forty-five days later - by the obscure disappearance, in Burkina Faso, of the young Paduan architect, Luca Tacchetto, and his Canadian friend Edith Blais, of whom there is no news. The call for secrecy, requested by the Italian and Canadian authorities, does not allay the anguish about their fate.
If as far as Silvia Romano is concerned, the dynamics of the kidnapping are clear and precise, instead, the disappearance of Luca Tacchetto and Edith Blais, who were also determined to do voluntary work, is shrouded in mystery, even though their kidnapping is now well-established. The Canadian government has sent four investigators to Burkina Faso, to support the local security forces and those of the Farnesina, in the search for the two young people.
Unfortunately, in spite of ourselves, one cannot help but notice a certain degree of recklessness in facing such high risk enterprises, without knowing, or without taking into account, the dangers inherent in these choices. These criticisms are necessary in order to safeguard the safety of other young people who wish to follow their example. On 15 February, only a few days ago, in Burkina Faso, the 72-year-old Spaniard Antonio Cèsar Fernàndez, a Salesian missionary, was killed by a band of jihadists, near the border with Togo, right where Luca and Edith were headed.
The British Foreign Office warns on its website: "Anyone who is present in Burkina Faso, for tourism, humanitarian activities, journalism or business, is seen as a legitimate target for a kidnapping for terrorist purposes or ransom. Any precautions that may be taken will not mitigate this very high risk."
Even more drastic is the warning issued by the Farnesina: "In light of the general picture of insecurity in the entire Sahel area, which is also affected by phenomena of a terrorist nature, as well as because of the political-institutional situation, which is still highly unstable, we advise against any kind of travel to Burkina Faso."
Is it possible that no one - neither the two missing young people, nor their friends and family, nor the organization for which they had to work - have taken due account of these warnings? Luca Tacchetto drove his car with his Canadian friend and left Italy, passing through desert areas, all at very high risk: Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso. Their destination was Togo, where they never arrived. Unfortunately, what happened shortly before to the volunteer Silvia Romano in Kenya did not prompt any caution to the two young people, who, animated by enthusiasm, were preparing to face their unique adventure.
Luca Tacchetto's traces were lost on December 15 last. In the last contact with friends waiting for him in Togo, the young man, who was together with the Canadian girl in the town of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, informed them that he was about to leave, always with his car, to reach them and start working on the construction of a village for the local population. No one knows what has happened since then, but it is not difficult to guess.
And yet, in the international information panorama, there is no lack of reports on the evolution of situations at risk in the various areas of the planet. A few minutes of research on the web, are able to provide a comprehensive vademecum on the subject. Just over a week ago, at the annual security conference held in Munich, Germany, the African Center for Strategic Studies revealed that in 2018 the number of victims of terrorist acts, ascertained in the Sahel area alone, was 1,082, twice as many as in the previous year.
This situation, which is unfortunately in constant negative evolution, makes it impossible to put off the adoption of appropriate measures by Western governments. The proliferation of non-profit organizations and the ease with which they obtain official governmental recognition, requires that each application for registration, is carefully evaluated in its real organizational, financial, structural and assuming clear responsibilities towards people who are recruited for volunteer missions.
BBM
Assalto dei terroristi in Burkina Faso: ucciso un missionario spagnolo - Africa Express: notizie dal continente dimenticato
The wave of violence in Burkina Faso, which has been going on for four years now, is continuing. Yesterday, on the border with Togo, in the south-east of the country, a group of armed men killed four customs officers and a Spanish priest, the Salesian Antonio César Fernández.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the death of the 72-year-old Salesian and expressed his condolences to the family of the victim and to all the others killed with him yesterday. He also said that he was grateful to all the volunteers and co-workers who risk their lives every day in areas of conflict.
The priest had been living and working in Africa since 1982. He was currently serving in Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. He was brutally killed on his way back from a meeting in Lomé, Togo. He was in the company of another priest and his African driver.
A source of the Burkinabe security forces reported that about twenty alleged jihadists would have participated in the attack.
BBM
RIP Antonio César Fernández. May your legacy be a blessing.
Too many young volunteers disembarking on trips in high-risk countries
The kidnapping of the volunteer Silvia Costanza Romano, that happened in Chakama, in north-west Kenya, was followed - only forty-five days later - by the obscure disappearance, in Burkina Faso, of the young Paduan architect, Luca Tacchetto, and his Canadian friend Edith Blais, of whom there is no news. The call for secrecy, requested by the Italian and Canadian authorities, does not allay the anguish about their fate.
If as far as Silvia Romano is concerned, the dynamics of the kidnapping are clear and precise, instead, the disappearance of Luca Tacchetto and Edith Blais, who were also determined to do voluntary work, is shrouded in mystery, even though their kidnapping is now well-established. The Canadian government has sent four investigators to Burkina Faso, to support the local security forces and those of the Farnesina, in the search for the two young people.
Unfortunately, in spite of ourselves, one cannot help but notice a certain degree of recklessness in facing such high risk enterprises, without knowing, or without taking into account, the dangers inherent in these choices. These criticisms are necessary in order to safeguard the safety of other young people who wish to follow their example. On 15 February, only a few days ago, in Burkina Faso, the 72-year-old Spaniard Antonio Cèsar Fernàndez, a Salesian missionary, was killed by a band of jihadists, near the border with Togo, right where Luca and Edith were headed.
The British Foreign Office warns on its website: "Anyone who is present in Burkina Faso, for tourism, humanitarian activities, journalism or business, is seen as a legitimate target for a kidnapping for terrorist purposes or ransom. Any precautions that may be taken will not mitigate this very high risk."
Even more drastic is the warning issued by the Farnesina: "In light of the general picture of insecurity in the entire Sahel area, which is also affected by phenomena of a terrorist nature, as well as because of the political-institutional situation, which is still highly unstable, we advise against any kind of travel to Burkina Faso."
Is it possible that no one - neither the two missing young people, nor their friends and family, nor the organization for which they had to work - have taken due account of these warnings? Luca Tacchetto drove his car with his Canadian friend and left Italy, passing through desert areas, all at very high risk: Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso. Their destination was Togo, where they never arrived. Unfortunately, what happened shortly before to the volunteer Silvia Romano in Kenya did not prompt any caution to the two young people, who, animated by enthusiasm, were preparing to face their unique adventure.
Luca Tacchetto's traces were lost on December 15 last. In the last contact with friends waiting for him in Togo, the young man, who was together with the Canadian girl in the town of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, informed them that he was about to leave, always with his car, to reach them and start working on the construction of a village for the local population. No one knows what has happened since then, but it is not difficult to guess.
And yet, in the international information panorama, there is no lack of reports on the evolution of situations at risk in the various areas of the planet. A few minutes of research on the web, are able to provide a comprehensive vademecum on the subject. Just over a week ago, at the annual security conference held in Munich, Germany, the African Center for Strategic Studies revealed that in 2018 the number of victims of terrorist acts, ascertained in the Sahel area alone, was 1,082, twice as many as in the previous year.
This situation, which is unfortunately in constant negative evolution, makes it impossible to put off the adoption of appropriate measures by Western governments. The proliferation of non-profit organizations and the ease with which they obtain official governmental recognition, requires that each application for registration, is carefully evaluated in its real organizational, financial, structural and assuming clear responsibilities towards people who are recruited for volunteer missions.
BBM
Assalto dei terroristi in Burkina Faso: ucciso un missionario spagnolo - Africa Express: notizie dal continente dimenticato
The wave of violence in Burkina Faso, which has been going on for four years now, is continuing. Yesterday, on the border with Togo, in the south-east of the country, a group of armed men killed four customs officers and a Spanish priest, the Salesian Antonio César Fernández.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed the death of the 72-year-old Salesian and expressed his condolences to the family of the victim and to all the others killed with him yesterday. He also said that he was grateful to all the volunteers and co-workers who risk their lives every day in areas of conflict.
The priest had been living and working in Africa since 1982. He was currently serving in Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. He was brutally killed on his way back from a meeting in Lomé, Togo. He was in the company of another priest and his African driver.
A source of the Burkinabe security forces reported that about twenty alleged jihadists would have participated in the attack.
BBM
RIP Antonio César Fernández. May your legacy be a blessing.
JerseyGirl
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"There is no evidence of the death of Luca Tacchetto and Edith Blais , we continue to look for them. We do not Surrend. We will do everything possible to find out the truth ". Giovanni Favilli, Italian Ambassador to Ghana and Togo.
Luca e Edith scomparsi in Burkina, l'ambasciatore: «Nessuna prova che siano morti»
Luca e Edith scomparsi in Burkina, l'ambasciatore: «Nessuna prova che siano morti»
ZaZara
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Scomparsi in Africa, Interpol sulle tracce di Luca ed Edith
Missing in Africa, Interpol on the trail of Luca and Edith
The Frenchman Guilloteau and the Canadian entrepreneur Gagnon have been questioned by investigators.
Meanwhile, the village of Zion Gaia is being built, the destination of the couple.
Despite the silence that seems to have fallen on the disappearance in Burkina Faso of Luca Tacchetto, 30, and his Canadian friend Edith Blais, 34, in the African country something would still be moving from the point of view of investigation.
BBM
....... from that point on, the paywall starts. I tried to buy a single copy of the paper before, and I won't try again.
I don't quite know how or why, but I'm somehow reminded of the famous phrase by Galileo Galilei who uttered "And yet it does move" after he was forced to recant his claims that the Earth moves around the Sun.
So let's hope for the best.
Missing in Africa, Interpol on the trail of Luca and Edith
The Frenchman Guilloteau and the Canadian entrepreneur Gagnon have been questioned by investigators.
Meanwhile, the village of Zion Gaia is being built, the destination of the couple.
Despite the silence that seems to have fallen on the disappearance in Burkina Faso of Luca Tacchetto, 30, and his Canadian friend Edith Blais, 34, in the African country something would still be moving from the point of view of investigation.
BBM
....... from that point on, the paywall starts. I tried to buy a single copy of the paper before, and I won't try again.
I don't quite know how or why, but I'm somehow reminded of the famous phrase by Galileo Galilei who uttered "And yet it does move" after he was forced to recant his claims that the Earth moves around the Sun.
So let's hope for the best.
Elainera
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I will certainly do.
ZaZara
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Per trovarli ora si muovono i servizi segreti
The secret service is now involved in the searches .
In the intelligence report on the disappearance of the couple, the activism of Islamic terrorism in that area emerges.
There have been no traces of them since 15 December: Edith Blais and Luca Tacchetto, an architect from Padua, disappeared in Burkina Faso three months ago. Now the 007 Italians are looking for the pair, as revealed in the latest report of the Department of Information for Security handed over to Parliament.
The report does not write the hypothesis of kidnapping in black and white, although it does not seem to have been discarded, but instead clearly indicates the presence of Islamic terrorist activism in the area. But what happened to the couple heading to Togo, where they were supposed to work as volunteers in an eco-sustainability project? Now, in addition to the Farnesina and Interpol, the secret services are also looking for them.
BBM
The secret service is now involved in the searches .
In the intelligence report on the disappearance of the couple, the activism of Islamic terrorism in that area emerges.
There have been no traces of them since 15 December: Edith Blais and Luca Tacchetto, an architect from Padua, disappeared in Burkina Faso three months ago. Now the 007 Italians are looking for the pair, as revealed in the latest report of the Department of Information for Security handed over to Parliament.
The report does not write the hypothesis of kidnapping in black and white, although it does not seem to have been discarded, but instead clearly indicates the presence of Islamic terrorist activism in the area. But what happened to the couple heading to Togo, where they were supposed to work as volunteers in an eco-sustainability project? Now, in addition to the Farnesina and Interpol, the secret services are also looking for them.
BBM
ZaZara
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Da tre mesi non si hanno notizie di Luca Tacchetto, scomparso in Burkina Faso
Missing 3 months on March 15 and no news.
Kidnapping by islamic terrorists remains an option but has not been confirmed.
Missing 3 months on March 15 and no news.
Kidnapping by islamic terrorists remains an option but has not been confirmed.
ZaZara
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Africa. Camerun e Nigeria, uccisi due sacerdoti. Un altro scomparso in Burkina Faso
Two Catholic priests were murdered in Cameroon and Nigeria, while in Burkina Faso there are fears for another kidnapped pastor. In the last few hours, dismay, apprehension and a multitude of questions arose on the nearby fronts of missionary pastoral work and pedagogical commitment in the African areas at risk.
In Cameroon
Originally from the Central African Republic and resident in Chad, Capuchin father Toussaint Zoumaldé was killed with a stabbing weapon before dawn yesterday. Father Jean Miguina, superior for the province of Chad and the Central African Republic, announced yesterday the death of the pastor, who was also well known as a radio journalist and author of religious songs: "He came to Bouar to organize a training session for the priests of the diocese, and he was returning to his mission in Baibokoum in Chad, through Cameroon. When he arrived in Ngaoundéré, he wanted to spend the night there and continue the next day. Here, he was assassinated by unknown men". More precise details about the murder are lacking for the moment.
In Nigeria
On the same day Father Clement Ugwu, of the church of San Marco, in the State of Enugu, was found dead aftet he had not been heard of since a week ago. His body was found about twenty kilometers from the parish. The media had suggested a kidnapping. At the end of the funeral the bishop, Callistus Onaga, made a strong appeal that the heinous crime does not go unpunished. Five priests have already been killed in the world since January, one every sixteen days. Four victims have been murdered in Africa.
In northern Burkina Faso, there are fears for the life of Father Joël Yougbaré, of the Society for African Missions, kidnapped last Sunday in the same administrative province of Soum which has Djibo as its capital. The priest had gone to celebrate Mass in the village of Bottogui and there is no news from him since, according to Monsignor Laurent Dabiré, Bishop of Dori, the capital of the Sahel region, the northernmost. Only a month ago, on February 15, near the southern border with Togo, Father Antonio César Fernández, a Spanish Salesian priest, was killed.
Meanwhile, the searches for the Paduan architect Luca Tacchetto and his Canadian partner Edith Blais continue, they were probably kidnapped between 15 and 16 December while on their way from Burkina to Togo for humanitarian work.
BBM
Two Catholic priests were murdered in Cameroon and Nigeria, while in Burkina Faso there are fears for another kidnapped pastor. In the last few hours, dismay, apprehension and a multitude of questions arose on the nearby fronts of missionary pastoral work and pedagogical commitment in the African areas at risk.
In Cameroon
Originally from the Central African Republic and resident in Chad, Capuchin father Toussaint Zoumaldé was killed with a stabbing weapon before dawn yesterday. Father Jean Miguina, superior for the province of Chad and the Central African Republic, announced yesterday the death of the pastor, who was also well known as a radio journalist and author of religious songs: "He came to Bouar to organize a training session for the priests of the diocese, and he was returning to his mission in Baibokoum in Chad, through Cameroon. When he arrived in Ngaoundéré, he wanted to spend the night there and continue the next day. Here, he was assassinated by unknown men". More precise details about the murder are lacking for the moment.
In Nigeria
On the same day Father Clement Ugwu, of the church of San Marco, in the State of Enugu, was found dead aftet he had not been heard of since a week ago. His body was found about twenty kilometers from the parish. The media had suggested a kidnapping. At the end of the funeral the bishop, Callistus Onaga, made a strong appeal that the heinous crime does not go unpunished. Five priests have already been killed in the world since January, one every sixteen days. Four victims have been murdered in Africa.
In northern Burkina Faso, there are fears for the life of Father Joël Yougbaré, of the Society for African Missions, kidnapped last Sunday in the same administrative province of Soum which has Djibo as its capital. The priest had gone to celebrate Mass in the village of Bottogui and there is no news from him since, according to Monsignor Laurent Dabiré, Bishop of Dori, the capital of the Sahel region, the northernmost. Only a month ago, on February 15, near the southern border with Togo, Father Antonio César Fernández, a Spanish Salesian priest, was killed.
Meanwhile, the searches for the Paduan architect Luca Tacchetto and his Canadian partner Edith Blais continue, they were probably kidnapped between 15 and 16 December while on their way from Burkina to Togo for humanitarian work.
BBM
ZaZara
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Burkina Faso: forze di sicurezza e terroristi accusati di atrocità
Attacks, kidnappings and the "disappearances" of Luca Tacchetto and Edith Blias
Burkina Faso has been the scene of jihadist violence since 2015, mainly concentrated in the Sahel, to the north of the country and on the border with Mali. Since 2017 the number of attacks has been growing strongly and since 2018 the front has expanded to the eastern regions. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), a platform mapping the violence and conflicts in the world, has recorded from January 2018 to March 2019 98 attacks by extremists with over a hundred deaths, and 35 interventions by the security forces that have caused more than 330 victims.
In the country there are terrorist groups affiliated to Al Qaeda in the Maghreb and Isis. Islamic extremists are targeting in particular the symbols of state and traditional institutions: village leaders, councillors, police stations, gendarmes patrols, mayors. There have been assaults on ambulances and kidnappings. Among them, the one, never claimed, of Italian Luca Tacchetto and Canadian Edith Blais, who disappeared in Burkina Faso in December 2018. Human Rights Watch reports that "they are believed to have been abducted and, later, taken to Mali."
BBM
Possibly taken to Mali... that would be news. The latest that I was aware of was that they would have been abducted near Pama on their way to the border with Togo, in the South of Burkina Faso. Mali is on the North, in the other direction.
The other story is that they would have been on their way from Bobo Dioulasso to Ouagadougou to visit friends there. Did they or did they not visit these friends? I believe they did, but I cannot find it. On that track, they would have been nearer to the border with Mali.
Attacks, kidnappings and the "disappearances" of Luca Tacchetto and Edith Blias
Burkina Faso has been the scene of jihadist violence since 2015, mainly concentrated in the Sahel, to the north of the country and on the border with Mali. Since 2017 the number of attacks has been growing strongly and since 2018 the front has expanded to the eastern regions. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), a platform mapping the violence and conflicts in the world, has recorded from January 2018 to March 2019 98 attacks by extremists with over a hundred deaths, and 35 interventions by the security forces that have caused more than 330 victims.
In the country there are terrorist groups affiliated to Al Qaeda in the Maghreb and Isis. Islamic extremists are targeting in particular the symbols of state and traditional institutions: village leaders, councillors, police stations, gendarmes patrols, mayors. There have been assaults on ambulances and kidnappings. Among them, the one, never claimed, of Italian Luca Tacchetto and Canadian Edith Blais, who disappeared in Burkina Faso in December 2018. Human Rights Watch reports that "they are believed to have been abducted and, later, taken to Mali."
BBM
Possibly taken to Mali... that would be news. The latest that I was aware of was that they would have been abducted near Pama on their way to the border with Togo, in the South of Burkina Faso. Mali is on the North, in the other direction.
The other story is that they would have been on their way from Bobo Dioulasso to Ouagadougou to visit friends there. Did they or did they not visit these friends? I believe they did, but I cannot find it. On that track, they would have been nearer to the border with Mali.
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