The military allegedly used the journalist without his knowledge to try to locate a jihadist leader, according to an investigation by several French media. Olivier Dubois was kidnapped on April 8, 2021 in Gao, northern Mali, by the GSIM, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel linked to Al-Qaeda.
A "red letter" - for strongly discouraged - had been sent to Dubois the day before his abduction to dissuade him from making this trip. The newspaper Libération had for its part refused the interview project of Dubois.