Malian singer Rokia Traore arrested in France over child custody dispute

By AFP
March 14, 2020

Rokia Traore was held at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport on Tuesday as she got off a flight from Bamako

The Malian singer Rokia Traore has been arrested in France on a Belgian warrant for kidnapping in a child custody dispute with her ex-partner, her lawyer told AFP on Friday.

She was held at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport on Tuesday as she got off a flight from Bamako and has been in custody since, lawyer Kenneth Feliho said.

Her arrest is over a European arrest warrant issued by the Belgian authorities for "kidnapping, sequestration and hostage-taking", Feliho said.

The warrant followed a court ruling against singer and guitarist Traore late last year ordering her to return her five-year-old daughter to her father, who is Belgian.

A hearing is due on Wednesday to examine the request for her extradition to Belgium.

Away from music, Traore is known for her work for refugees and was made a UN ambassador for refugees in 2016.


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