Organizers gave the green light on Friday for the 30th Dakar Rally to proceed as planned through the African state of Mauritania despite security fears prompted by recent al-Qaeda- linked attacks.
Mauritania has announced that it would mobilize 2,000 soldiers and 2,000 plainclothes police to monitor the rally as it passes through the country between Jan. 11 and Jan. 19.
"We are going ahead with the Mauritanian stages of the rally ... It now seems that the security situation is back on track," Etienne Lavigne, the French director of the event said.
"There is nothing to fear, every precaution has been put in place," Mauritanian Interior Minister Yall Zakaria said.
Zakaria said he told the rally inspectors that "all necessary measures have been taken by the government to ensure that the event's passage through Mauritania takes place in the best possible conditions."
"They left feeling reassured and comforted at the end of our discussions. [This week's] attacks are isolated incidents which should not be interpreted as proof that Mauritania is gripped by unrest," Zakaria said.
pledges
Zakaria's pledges appear to have won over an organizing team that arrived to examine conditions on Thursday, the same day that three soldiers were killed during an armed ambush in the northeast of the country.
Three days earlier, four French adventure tourists were shot dead and a fifth injured by three Mauritanians, said by government officials to have al-Qaeda links.
The suspects are still on the run after fleeing across the southeastern border with Senegal. Two of the men were previously arrested in connection with the extremist Algeria-based Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).
The group earlier this year declared allegiance to al-Qaeda and renamed itself al-Qaeda's Branch in the Islamic Maghreb.
reinforcements
The new military reinforcements have been sent to the desert region between Algeria, Mauritania and Mali, where the GSPC is active, security officials said.
Terror threats from Mauritania, normally seen as a safe country to travel through, had already forced the cancelation of two planned stages between Nema and Timbuktu in neighboring Mali during last year's rally.
Security and safety issues were already the priority for the Dakar Rally starting in January after this year's edition was overshadowed by the tragic death of two motorcyclists.
South African Elmer Symons and Frenchman Eric Aubijoux became the latest victims of this controversial race that is much criticized for the reckless manner racers charge through uncharted nomadic terrain in northwest Africa.
Some 245 motorbikes, 20 quads, 205 cars and 100 trucks have registered -- 60 more than this year -- in the race which starts in Lisbon on Jan. 5 and covers 9,273km before finishing in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Jan. 20.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
LONG TIME COMING: With the addition of Marcus Smart, the Washington Wizards finally held a team to under 100 points, the last team this season to do so The Detroit Pistons on Monday won their seventh straight game in the NBA with in-form Cade Cunningham making 32 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 106-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Pistons, who are in the playoff position, moved to 32-26, their best record at this stage of a season for 17 years. It was an all-round effort from Detroit with Tobias Harris adding 20 points and Jalen Duren making 19 rebounds along with his 12 points. It was a tight contest until Detroit pulled away late in the third quarter to tie their longest winning streak since the 2014-2015
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
RSS