A tragedy shook the Omarian community of Mali this Thursday, December 26, 2024: the kidnapping of the Caliph of Tidjaniya by armed men.
Amadou Hady Tall, Caliph General of Tidjaniya, was kidnapped by armed men in Diabidiala, near Nioro du Sahel.
According to witnesses, the incident occurred while he was returning from a ziara (Quran reading) in a nearby village. His convoy was intercepted by armed individuals who shot at his vehicle, slightly injuring his foot. The other passengers were released, but the Caliph was taken to an unknown destination.
For the moment, no demands have been made. However, there are suspicions of armed groups active in the region. This kidnapping comes in a context of increasing violence in the Sahel, where moderate religious leaders are becoming targets for having advocated peace and condemned violence.
Amadou Hady Tall, descendant of Thierno Mountaga Tall, is an influential figure in moderate Islam in Mali. During his last public speech, on September 20, 2024, he denounced terrorism and called for hope, declaring that “the suffering of Malians is drawing to an end”. These words, spoken during the Maouloud in Nioro, take on a particular resonance in this context of tension.
The Nioro region of the Sahel, close to the Mauritanian border, is both a religious center for the Tall family and a sensitive area exposed to incursions by armed groups. Although historical tensions exist between the religious families of Nioro, in particular with the Cherifian family of Bouyé Haïdara, this kidnapping seems to be part of a broader framework linked to insecurity in the Sahel.
The absence of a claim complicates the identification of the authors. However, the methods used, such as violent interception and hostage-taking, are characteristic of certain armed jihadist groups. The kidnapping could also be interpreted as a response to the Caliph’s public positions, notably his calls for youth to renounce violence.
The Malian authorities reacted by deploying security forces to find the Khalifa. Calls for national unity and international cooperation were made. For his part, Thierno Bachir Tall, Caliph General of the Omarian family, invited collective prayers for a rapid and positive outcome of this crisis.
MD/te/Sf/APA
