Tall is a former government Minister, and one of the most vocal critics of Mali’s ruling military Junta.

The incident occurs against a backdrop of extreme regional instability.

Just days ago, Mali was rocked by co-ordinated insurgent attacks that claimed the life of the Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara.

While the authorities have launched an investigation into ‘internal complicity’ regarding those attacks, the targeting of a high-profile legal and political figure like Tall-who has spent years defending arbitrarily detained opposition voices-has sent shockwaves through the country’s civil society.

–Channel Africa–