The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances is raising its voice against the Malian transitional authorities. In a letter seen by RFI and sent on July 10, 2026, to the Malian diplomatic mission in Geneva, the UN body is demanding "immediate measures" to locate and protect former minister and democratic figure Mountaga Tall, as well as his son, Cheick Mamadou Tall.

This action follows an emergency procedure initiated on July 7 by the family's lawyers. Mountaga Tall was abducted nearly two and a half months ago by State Security, and his son suffered the same fate two weeks later.

The UN's requirements: transparency and humanitarian access

The UN committee made specific demands to the Malian state:

1. Clarification of detention status: Bamako must confirm whether the two men are being held under the authority of the State, reveal their place of captivity and specify the legal basis as well as the charges against them.
2. Fundamental rights: The UN demands that they be allowed visits from their relatives and lawyers. Urgent access to healthcare and medication is also demanded for Mountaga Tall.
3. Justice or liberation: The committee demands a guarantee of a fair trial or, failing concrete charges, their "immediate release".

An investigation into the intelligence services has been demanded.

While Malian authorities claim to be unaware of their whereabouts, the UN demands the immediate implementation of a rigorous search strategy. This includes:

1. Total transparency on the operations carried out by the security forces (including the National State Security Agency) at the time of the events.
2. Identifying the agents involved and the transfer locations.
3. Analysis of surveillance cameras near the former minister's home and examination of the family's telephone records to identify the kidnappers.

The Malian government has until July 24 to submit its responses. When contacted by RFI, the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment.

A wave of kidnappings targeting the opposition

In parallel with the UN action, the Tall family's lawyers plan to appeal to the African Court of Human Rights.

This double disappearance is part of a wave of extrajudicial abductions carried out by State Security since the beginning of May. Several pro-democracy political, military, and religious figures have vanished without a trace. Among them are Youssouf Daba Diawara (a close associate of exiled opposition leader Mahmoud Dicko) and Moussa Djiré (president of the Yiriwa 223 movement), both abducted by masked gunmen. To date, the exact number of these secret detainees remains unknown, and the authorities have remained completely silent.