Renowned Malian singer Rokia Traoré, one of Africa’s most celebrated musicians, has been imprisoned in Belgium following her extradition from Italy over a long-standing child custody dispute. The 50-year-old artist is serving a two-year prison sentence issued in absentia in 2023 for parental abduction.
The case dates back to 2020 when a Belgian court ordered Traoré to transfer custody of her daughter to the child’s father, Belgian national Jan Goossens. Defying the ruling, Traoré reportedly took her daughter to Mali, where the now nine-year-old has lived since she was four.
Traoré was first detained in France in 2020 on a Belgian arrest warrant but was conditionally released. She later violated a travel ban by leaving France on a private flight to Mali before extradition proceedings could be completed. In her absence, a Belgian court convicted her of parental abduction, sentencing her to two years in prison.
In June 2024, Traoré was arrested in Rome’s Fiumicino airport while en route to perform at a concert. Following a European arrest warrant issued by Belgium, an Italian court approved her extradition. An appeal lodged by Traoré was rejected earlier this month, leading to her transfer to Belgium.
The child’s father claims he has had no contact with his daughter since 2019. Meanwhile, Mali’s government has previously supported Traoré, stating she held a diplomatic passport.
The custody battle continues to draw international attention due to Traoré’s prominence as an artist and the complexity of the cross-border legal dispute.
