Questions remain a decade after Mali murders of RFI reporters

RFI reporters Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon were shot dead in northern Mali on 2 November 2013 after concluding an interview with a Tuareg leader. Ten years later, questions remain about what happened that day.

Ghislaine Dupont, journalists at RFI, and Claude Verlon, technician at RFI © L'association Les amis de Ghislaine & Claude DR

"On 2 November 2013, journalist Ghislaine Dupont and reporting technician Claude Verlon, reporting in the Kidal region of northern Mali, were kidnapped then cravenly murdered," France Médias Monde (FMM), which owns Radio France Internationale (RFI), said in a press release.

The investigation into what happened remains "particularly complex", the statement adds.

The families fear that justice will never be served, as only one member of the commando that kidnapped and murdered the the reporters is reported to be still alive. 

En hommage à Ghislaine Dupont et Claude Verlon: «Journalisme en Afrique, la rançon du métier» https://t.co/seR0jODJGQ pic.twitter.com/xk7UlFgPos

— RFI (@RFI) November 1, 2023

Slow investigation

Four members of the commando unit have been identified, and RFI has filed a civil case and is involved in the legal proceedings.

Verlon's sister Marie-Pierre Ritleng described the investigation as "moving forward, but slowly". She told RFI she fears that answers about the murders might remain hidden for a while longer.

Dupont's mother, Marie-Solange Poinsot, told RFI that she stills cries for her daughter "every day".

"I miss her a lot, she was the joy of my life," she said, expressing concern that she will not see justice prevail in her own lifetime.

Poinsot, 93, believes that the French army is hiding important information, probably to protect the military.

Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont in Malí, in July 2013. © RFI/Pierre René-Worms

As many as ten French soldiers were present in Kidal on the day of murders, according to French official sources, but they were poorly equipped and barely able to ensure their own safety.

Previous reports appear to show a gap of at least 20 minutes between the raising of an alert by a special forces unit and the response of regular troops, described by the army as "the only soldiers equipped to intervene".

Verlon's daughter, Apolline, wrote to both French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron asking for the truth to be brought to light so that the bereaved families can finally begin the process of mourning.

This year, she told RFI that she wanted to know the truth to live in peace, and "to cease to imagine all the worst possible scenarios of what could have happened on that day in November 2013".

Training African journalists

At RFI's request, in December 2013 the United Nations proclaimed 2 November the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

RFI has also decided to honour Dupont and Verlon by training young journalists from the African continent.

A special ceremony was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to honour this year's graduates.

Tous les anciens lauréats de la bourse Ghislaine Dupont et Claude Verlon @RFI, ainsi que les stagiaires 2023, réunis à Abidjan. Les noms des lauréats de la 10e édition seront annoncés ce jeudi. pic.twitter.com/leLSiuLFyX

— François Hume-Ferkatadji (@EfaSheef) October 31, 2023

"The Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon Scholarship was created to continue and pay tribute to the passion and expertise of the two reporters," FMM wrote in its statement, and "to transmit their knowledge and values ​​to journalists and technicians, the very people who worked alongside them on the editorial staff of RFI or in the field".