"I dedicate this award to all those who lost their lives because of their faith!" Abdoulaye Cissé is the director of Radio Tahanint in Timbuktu, Mali. A pastor and businessman at heart, he received the François Sergy Award on Friday, November 26, in Lomé, Togo, during the closing ceremony of the fourth training week for Christian media professionals in French-speaking Africa. Deeply moved, the 55-year-old man, dressed in a traditional yellow boubou, added that he was also dedicating this award to his mentor, Abdoulaye Sangho, Trans World Radio's international director for West and Central Africa, one of the main speakers at Lomé 4, who was present that day.

Distinguished for his perseverance and courage

The jury for the François Sergy Prize, an award given in tribute to a former Radio Réveil journalist, decided this year to honor Abdoulaye Cissé for his perseverance and courage in remaining in Timbuktu, a city threatened by jihadist pressure sweeping across the Sahel from west to east, from Senegal to Somalia.

In 2012, Abdoulaye Cissé saw his radio station and then his home ransacked by Muslim extremists. The books from his library were brought in front of his house and burned in the open air. On December 15, 2015, three young people were murdered in front of the Radio Tahanint (Radio Mercy) premises. Two were Christians, and one of them was a particularly promising radio host.

"This award encourages me to persevere in what I am doing," he added. "I ask for your support in prayer, because we really need it!"