Sophie Pétronin: the government “deplores” its return to Mali, an “irresponsibility” – BFMTV

This Wednesday, the government spokesperson, Gabriel Attal, said the annoyance of the executive about the illegal return to Mali of the former hostage Sophie Pétronin.

Former hostage Sophie Pétronin, 76, illegally returned to Mali last March, just five months after her release from the jihadists of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims. This Wednesday, at the end of the Council of Ministers, Gabriel Attal, was questioned about this.

“We deplore his return to Mali”

The government spokesperson bluntly delivered the executive’s position on this issue, not hiding his anger: “The position is clear: obviously, we deplore his return to Mali.”

“There is a form of irresponsibility towards her security and that of our soldiers. We have soldiers who were killed in hostage rescue operations,” he observed.

Sophie Pétronin, who had publicly mentioned her desire to return to Mali – where she had settled 25 years ago – upon her arrival at Villacoublay airport on October 9, 2020, justified her return to Africa by her desire to to find his adopted daughter Zeinabou.