Mali junta critic abducted

Maître Mountaga Tall, a former Malian minister and vocal critic of the ruling military junta, has been abducted from his residence in Bamako by unidentified armed men.

Tall's family reports that hooded individuals forced their way into his home and took him away without explanation, marking the latest in a series of disappearances targeting political opponents.

The abduction occurs amid a heightened security crackdown following recent insurgent attacks in the capital city.

Human rights organizations have expressed growing alarm over the deteriorating political climate and the junta's increasing use of extrajudicial detentions to silence dissent.