MOREHEAD —
A community vigil was held here Monday to mark the birthday of a girl who is at the center of an international custody dispute.
Maayimuna (maya-moona) N’Diaye (en-jay) turned 5 on Monday. That date also marked eight months since Ibrahim N’Diaye, the child’s father, left the country with her in defiance of a judge’s order.
Maayimuna was taken by her father to the Republic of Mali, which is located in West Africa. The U.S. State Department’s Office of children’s Issues has verified the girl is living in Bamako, Mali, with her father, according to Maayimuna’s mother, Dr. Noelle Hunter of Morehead.
According to Noelle Hunter, Ibrahim N’Diaye and the girl flew one-way to Bamako on Dec. 27 after Rowan Circuit Judge William Lane issued an order directing Ibrahim N’Diaye to share joint custody of the child with Hunter.
Ibrahim N’Diaye has U.S. permanent residency status and Maayimuna is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mali. The father was able to leave the country with the youngster despite Lane ordering the girl’s mother to retain her U.S. passport, Hunter said.
A warrant has been issued charging Ibrahim N’Diaye with custodial interference. The charge is a Class D felony that carries a one- to five-year prison sentence.
According to Hunter, the father and child have both been entered into the National Crime Information Computer (NCIC) and Interpol has issued notices for both. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is circulating posters with information about the abduction.
Monday’s event, dubbed “A Little Walk to Light Her Way Home,” included a walk around the block near Maayimuna’s home. Her mother said it is the route that she enjoyed taking daily after preschool.
More information is available at the Lighting Her Way Home Facebook page.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
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