General speculation on Saharan kidnapping tactics

[Richard Washington]

And from the article in Priffe's post:
"The idea that you can write things here that won't impact there is just — in this globalized world — crazy."

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Former+Canadian+diplomat+says+media+coverage+harmf ul+during+kidnapping/5671040/story.html#ixzz1d9CpJbDa

Same is probably true of the threads on the Hubb which amount to the most comprehensive collation of Saharan kidnapping that I am aware of.

[priffe]

Perhaps "Jack" is a Hubb member?

On the 'map' on the previous page, that perhaps Fowler drew, the 'Camp Canada' is marked verrry close to Bordj Mohktar. And the 'phone call' further west.
I think he has it a little wrong there, and they were held further east, east of Tessalit. This is also what I was told when I was in the area, at the same time. We went from Timiaouine south and may have been a stone's throw from the camp.
Then they went west near Bordj for the phone call. Makes more sense.

[Richard Washington]

Originally Posted by priffe

Perhaps "Jack" is a Hubb member?

On the 'map' on the previous page, that perhaps Fowler drew, the 'Camp Canada' is marked verrry close to Bordj Mohktar. And the 'phone call' further west.
I think he has it a little wrong there, and they were held further east, east of Tessalit. This is also what I was told when I was in the area, at the same time. We went from Timiaouine south and may have been a stone's throw from the camp.
Then they went west near Bordj for the phone call. Makes more sense.

I was puzzling over this too and had the same thoughts initially as Priffe. But one detail that does fit in with Fowler's description of going west of Bordj is that the party climbed a large dune in order to get a phone signal. The most likely dunes are west of Bodj, not east of Bodj. There are no large dunes on the reg south or east of Bordj. By climbing the dune and getting the signal, they would have kept more distance between themselves and Bodj.

[Chris Scott]

I have not read all the recent Canadian press articles, but I seem to recall that was a GSM call he described, hooking up with a nearby Alg network, not a traceable sat call. So it can only be Bordj or Timia.
Any desert town GSM signal won't reach more than 15km, I'd guess. Why drive 400km NW of Bordj to make a phone call, as the map suggests? Its in the biggest GSM hole in Africa.
I also recall at the time we narrowed the call down to just south of Timia but looking at GE again, as noted there are lines of dunes only 10-12km west of BBM, but still just inside Mali, so it may well have been there, close to Camp Canada as on his map, which itself is close to Ikhalil (just in Mali, 20km SSE of BBM).
So as suggested, the whole map route is too far west and the 'safe' Camp Canada (where he spent most of his time?) must have been well inside east Mali.

Ch

[Richard Washington]

I would put the dune no more than 30km west of Bodj. Mobile signals will travel that far in my experience.

Fowler describes a long drive to get to the dune. I expect that the convoy kept away from the border and so took a a loop south and then NW towards Bordj. This probably made the site of the call seem further west than it really was. I agree that camp Canada is therefore prob also too far west on his map.

[Richard Washington]

The Google Earth Image shows the dune field marked out by the yellow line. Bodj is flagged. These are pretty much the only dunes around. Next settlement west is Chengueti in Mauri.

[Chris Scott]

So we can redraw the Fowler map something like below.

It's probably all on this forum somewhere, but I suspect the reason it was thought here that Timia village was a likely location for the dune phone call was we knew at the time he was held east of Tessalit (Canada Camp?), and so it seemed the most likely location to go get an Alg GSM signal.
Now we know it was a 'long drive' to the phone call, Bordj makes sense. It's a town not a village so must has a stronger GSM signal. In fact I recall even the guys in Ikhalil (20km south) could use it.

Ch

[priffe]

Tamanrasset guide sentenced
The Associated Press: Algeria convicts tour guide in kidnapping plot
"ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria's official news agency says a court in the capital has convicted a tour guide on charges he plotted to kidnap a group of European tourists and sell them to the North African al-Qaida affiliate.
The APS report says the 36-year-old man, Mohamed Afrokada, was sentenced to five years in prison.
The report cites court documents as saying that Afrokada and four other tour guides were behind a 2010 plot to kidnap tourists traveling in the desert Tamanrasset region, in southern Algeria and sell them to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The documents said that Algerian security forces derailed the plot.
The four other alleged plotters fled to Mali, the APS report said."

The price was set at €45,000 per tourist. Afrokada fled to Libya where he was apprehended by Libyan secret services and extradited to Algeria in Novemer, 2010.

He is Mauretanian
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi...7/newsbrief-02

Anyone knows the name of the agency involved?

[priffe]

A French colonel was wounded near Gao when his car was attacked and he was shot in the shoulder.
Mali : Un bien étrange négociateur dans la libération des otages français - Mali / France - RFI
There is the possibility he was carrying large amounts of cash. He is a mercenary/negotiator working for Areva.

[priffe]

'El Para' testimony issue spurs Algiers trial delay (Magharebia.com)
Isn't it a little strange that the court will not allow El Para to appear?

[Richard Washington]

Originally Posted by priffe

'El Para' testimony issue spurs Algiers trial delay (Magharebia.com)
Isn't it a little strange that the court will not allow El Para to appear?

Strange it is and short of any explanation, you'd think it is because El Para is going to spill the beans on something 'they' wouldd rather not have in circulation.

[priffe]

Kidnapped Europeans, AQIM, and shady dealings in northern Mali al-Wasat – الوسط
Here's a portrait of 'the Director', the french officer and Air France director who was shot and wounded while travelling (probably with Baba Ould Sheik, mayor of Tarkint) near Menaka.
Otages français Niger : Rivalités entre négociateurs - actu-match - ParisMatch.com

Google trans
Ch

[Chris Scott]

Here's a portrait of 'the Director', the french officer and Air France director who was shot...

All mind-bendingly intriguing but I'm confused now. Could it be that you are mixing up the Air France 'director' (known by ABZ) with the former Chad-connected 'engineer**' who came in 'with deeper pockets ... he says with the blessing of Paris'?

If I understand the Paris-Match article correctly, back in France all year someone connected the DGSE (ie: you presume the state, but maybe just out for a quick buck) has been intimidating/sabotaging the “engineer” (formerly DGSE, shot the other day near Menaka, AFAICT?). He came in as a rival on the negotiations to release of the Areva 4 by the Air France “director”. But that someone merely wanted “... to obtain a share of the ransom!” which might be put up by Vinci/Areva anyway (so as to keep the state's hands clean).
Looks like everyone wants a bite then, not just ABZ, etc.

It was written nearly 3 weeks ago but it ended prophetically with: "The French [state?] have set up a security company in Mali which has proposed to members of AQIM that they [quit and] work with it. It also suggests being an intermediary to get their money ... "
It could explain 'the geologists'. I did think it was unusual for employees (as opposed to independent tourists) to be assigned to such an area without protection/escorts that these people get everywhere else like Alg oil fields and so on. Especially as it was the French who were warning months ago that the region as far south as Burkina was risky.

Another interesting fact: 'Abu Zeid feels that taking hostages is counter-productive to the image of AQIM'...

Ch

** 'The engineer' has since been ID'd as ex-Colonel Jean-Marc Gadoullet, according to a few posts on and repeated here. The French slang word barbus/barbouze is suddenly in many headlines: French secret service operative - similar to spook, but less complimentary.

[priffe]

Rumours...that Iyad Aghally of Niger has created a new movement FPILA for the "Liberation of Islamic Azawad" and joining hands with Aqim - and he was behind the Timbuktu kidnap.
Les forums de Kidal.info || Kidal.info
The Malian MNA appears to have lost their domain mnamov.net
but they are checking vehicles on their turf, two 4x4 with 13 armed Mauritanians were
halted near the Algerian border
The French have moved in with helicopters and aircraft, first to Gao, then Timbuktu
Ennahar Online
French extended the red zone to Nioro - Douentza - Koro

[gvdaa]

I know only one Iyad Ag Ghali, the former rebel leader from Kidal who had connections with Jamaat Tabligh from Pakistan and was until last year ambassador for Mali in Saudi. Or is there another Iyad Ag Ghali?