When Marin Petrović arrived in Bamako in early September last year, he was elated. The Bosnian national had spent years applying for tourist visas to Mali, only to be repeatedly denied on security grounds. The West African country has long been afflicted by civil war, foreign military interventions, and Islamist insurgencies.
“Now it was finally approved and I couldn’t wait to start this trip,”he wrote in Bosnian in a public Instagram post on 15 November 2025. Petrović declined to speak to the BBC for this article. The plan was to visit some of the country’s dramatic landmarks, before returning home.
In Bamako, Petrović enjoyed the sights and sounds of markets, busy roads, schools, and even sampled some local beers, according to the post. “The next day I set off for Mopti, known for its 100-year-old mud mosque,” he continued, referring to the Grand Mosque of Mopti, a 15m (49ft) tall architectural feat made from mud bricks. On Instagram, Petrović describes himself as a “mountain rescue” expert and “guide”, whose motto is not to “dream your life”, but to “live your dream”.
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But before Petrović could continue his dream of exploring Mali’s ancient treasures, his trip took an unexpected turn. “An armed attack takes place on the road between Bla and San,” he says in the same Instagram post. “Six motorbikes with two long-bearded terrorists, each armed with Kalashnikovs, surround the vehicle and drag me into the bushes, along non-existent paths through the undergrowth, through swamps, far from the main road… I was kidnapped by al-Qaeda jihadists!!!” Petrović had become the latest victim of a concerning trend for foreign travellers and expatriate workers in West Africa’s Sahel region.
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