This topic just caught my attention, for obvious reasons. As I am typing this I am sitting in Mali (Bamako).
I really feel for the individuals who have been taken and the trauma both they and their families have to endure.
I had to make a decision when I reached Abidjan (Cote D'Ivoire) two weeks ago. Options: Gun it through Liberia to Sierra Leone and onward (though I had been strongly advised against going through Liberia), or take a boat to Dakar (there are only cargo ships running this route) or gun it through Mali. I could also have gone through Guinea but numerous people advised me of unrest in the West of Cote D'Ivoire.
So ultimately I decided on riding through Mali and onward to Senegal.
I arrived here in Bamako late last night. I have met locals who have had to flee from the North (Timbuktu) with their families because of the current situation up there.
I have only been in Mali for two days now and from what I have experienced so far, the South is peaceful with no signs of unrest. Here's hoping that the situation up North doesn't spill over to the South. It's a beautiful country and the people are friendly and welcoming. I was only meant to stay in Bamako for one night but will now spend the rest of the week.
I guess it's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for these people.
I sincerely hope that the people who have been taken will be released without being harmed.
I'll give a full report on my experiences in my Ride Report once in Dakar (Senegal) next week:
http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=95770.0