The camel that grateful townsfolk in Mali presented to President Francois Hollande for sending in French troops to chase away Islamist extremists has likely been eaten by the family that was supposed to be looking after it in Timbuktu.
French defense officials said they were informed of the beast's ignominious demise during a visit to the war-torn African state last month, while Valeurs Actuelles magazine reported that the defense minister broke the bad news to the president during a recent cabinet meeting.
The camel caused Hollande some embarrassment when it was presented to him on February 3 in Timbuktu, which French troops had recently freed from the grip of Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
The animal bleated and shied away as he tried to caress it. “I shall use it as much a I can as a means of transport,” he quipped.
French officials originally planned to bring the beast back to France and place it in a zoo, but it was later decided to entrust it to a local family.
Paris sent its troops to Mali in January to block a feared advance on the capital Bamako from the north by Islamist fighters.
-
France withdraws first batch of soldiers from Mali
France has withdrawn its first batch of soldiers from Mali, the army said Tuesday, as it begins to pull out troops sent to battle Islamist fighters in ... Africa -
U.N. warns of Mali war spillover in Western Sahara
The conflict in Mali threatens to spill over into the disputed territory of Western Sahara and the Polisario Front independence movement has warned ... Africa -
France launches major offensive on Mali Islamists
A French force of 1,000 soldiers has begun a sweep of a river valley thought to be a logistics base for armed Islamists near the Malian city of Gao, ... Middle East