French forces tried to use a journalist's visit to northern Mali to track a jihadist leader but failed to prevent the reporter from being kidnapped by the militants, a joint investigation by RFI, newspapers Le Monde and Liberation and broadcaster TV5Monde has found.
While the investigation took more than 18 months, the revelations were withheld until the release of Olivier Dubois, 48, so as not to jeopardise him or the negotiations to secure his freedom.
