I-NIAMEY, eNiger-Abadubuli abangaziwa badubule babulala abakhenkethi abathathu abavela eSaudi Arabia kuhlaselo lwangoMvulo kwintlango yaseNiger ekude, amagosa athi.
Abanye abemi abathathu baseSaudi nabo benzakala kolu hlaselo, isithethi sikarhulumente waseNiger uMamane Kassoum Moktar uxelele I-Associated Press.
USekela Mphathiswa wezangaPhandle eSaudi uKhaled bin Saud uxelele i-Al-Arabiya TV ephethwe yi-Saudi ukuba abakhenkethi babephuma eNiger besiya kwilizwe laseMali elingummelwane xa bahlaselwa ngentseni emva kokumisa isithuthi sabo ukuze benze imithandazo yasekuseni.
Akukacaci ukuba yintoni ebangele olu bundlobongela, kodwa abavukeli basekhaya, abaphangi kunye namalungu e-al-Qaida ese-Algeria ese-Algeria ese-Afrika ekuMntla Afrika kukholelwa ukuba ayasebenza kwiintlango ezikude kufutshane nomda weMali.
Ebuzwa ukuba ngaba bayakrokrela ukuba i-al-Qaida ibingunobangela wohlaselo, uSaud uthe iqela liyasebenza kule ndawo “kodwa asinabo ubungqina” ukuba bayabandakanyeka.
“Kubonakala kuthi ukuza kuthi ga ngoku ukuba ibiluphango,” utshilo uSaud, esongeza ukuba abasemagunyeni eNiger bebenxibelelana nabalingane babo baseSaudi.
U-Moktar ukwalile ukuthelekelela ukuba ngaba i-al-Qaida ibingunobangela wohlaselo. Uthe aba bahlaseli bebehamba nge-four-wheel-drive xa bebaleka, kwaye kuthunyelwe amapolisa nomkhosi ukuba baye kubakhangela.
UMoktar uthe izikhokelo ezimbini ezivela eMali ezazikhapha iSaudis zafunyanwa ngamapolisa ebotshelelwe izandla ngoMvulo kwilali yaseAyerou, kufutshane nalapho kwenzeke khona uhlaselo.
Ngo-Epreli, abaqweqwedisi baseNiger bakhulula ababanjwa abane bangaphandle ababegcinwe iinyanga, kuquka nowayesakuba ngumthunywa okhethekileyo weZizwe eziManyeneyo eNiger, unozakuzaku waseCanada uRobert Fowler.
Umongameli waseNiger utyhola ukuxhwilwa kukaFowler kwiqela labavukeli besizwe esincinci saseTuareg abathe baqhuba ubuqhophololo obukwinqanaba eliphantsi iminyaka. Kodwa isebe le-Al-Qaida kuMntla Afrika libanga uxanduva lokuxhwilwa.
I-Al-Qaida kumaSilamsi kuMntla Afrika liqela elizinze e-Algeria elajoyina inethiwekhi yabanqolobi baka-Osama bin Laden ngo-2006 kwaye liqhuba inqwaba yeziqhushumbisi okanye ilalela inyanga nenyanga. Eli qela lisebenza ikakhulu e-Algeria kodwa kurhanelwa ukuba linqumla imida yelizwe eyintlango ukuze lisasaze ubundlobongela kwiindawo ezikuMntla-ntshona weAfrika.
NgoMvulo, i-al-Qaida yabanga uxanduva lokuxhwila amaTaliyane amabini kwangoko kule nyanga eMauritania, esemdeni weMali kwaye ikumda osemantla eAfrika. Umphathiswa wezangaphandle eRome uthe kusenokwenzeka ukuba abathinjwa basezandleni zeqela lamaSilamsi.
