Malian Singer Rokia Traoré Detained in Belgium Over Child Custody Case

The award-winning musician faces a two-year prison sentence after being extradited from Italy, with a new trial on the horizon.

Rokia Traoré, a prominent Malian singer, has been transferred to a prison in Belgium following her extradition from Italy over a child custody dispute.
She was sentenced in absentia in October 2023 to two years in prison for failing to comply with a Belgian court order to hand over her daughter to the child’s father, Jan Goossens.
Traoré had previously been arrested in France in 2020 and later defied a travel ban by leaving for Mali with her daughter, now nine years old and residing in Bamako.
Her lawyer has filed an appeal against the 2023 conviction, triggering a new trial in Belgium, which could begin as early as December, during which she will remain in detention.
Both parents have expressed a desire to reach a custody agreement for the well-being of the child, though disputes persist over her primary residence and shared parental responsibilities.