Malian Government Signals Support For Arrested Singer

Malian singer Rokia Traoré remains on hunger strike following her arrest in Paris on Tuesday March 10. She is being detained over a child custody dispute, with France acting on an arrest warrant from Belgium which seeks her extradition on grounds of kidnapping and hostage-taking. A Belgian court has ordered Traoré to hand over her five-year-old daughter to her estranged former partner, a Belgian national.   

The Malian government has responded to the arrest with a firm statement in support of the vocalist, while a public demonstration is due to be held in front of the Belgian embassy in the Malian capital, Bamako, this Wednesday, the day when a French court is due to examine the extradition request to Belgium.