The Festival au Desert wrapped up this weekend without incident in the dunes outside of Timbuktu, putting to rest fears that Islamist extremists might attack the event or try to kidnap some of the hundreds of foreign tourists who attended.

Al Qaeda activities around Northern Mali, including a string of kidnappings of foreign tourists and aid workers from Mauritania, Mali, and Niger, prompted the US and British governments to issue travel warnings to citizens late last year for Northern Mali and prompted Festival organisers to move the site closer to Timbuktu.

12/01/10