Three Kidnapped and one dead in Timbuktu

[nomadic]

Today a video appeared on arabic Aljazeera

Three hostages held by AQIM

[nomadic]

The English version came today on Al Jazeera;

Hostages in northern Mali plead for help

[Ferroa]

Though this thread is dead Gustafsson and McGown are still in captivity. I am planning on making a documentary about them and was wondering if any of you guys could put me in contact with people who saw them just before they were kidnapped. This is for research only. Thanks

[Ferroa]

Oh yes, I would also like to get in contact with the family of the german man who was brutally killed. Thank you for your help.

[Sam Rutherford]

I met Gustafsson in Senegal about a month before he was kidnapped.

Regards, Sam.

[Bartosz]

I spent 3 days with Mc Govn in Rabat on camping (waiting for Mauri visa).
We start together on the way south and next we met in Noukchott. I was back from Mauri loop; Mc Govn was before Mali.
I think I have some pictures with him from that time.

[Richard Washington]

Coming up for 5 long years.......

[priffe]

Yeah. Cant find anything in international news but there is dissent amongst the kidnappers where the elders want them released but the young want to keep them.
Johan Gustafsson – Omni

Oeniga kidnappare - Värnamo Nyheter
in Swedish

Gift of the Givers have tried to negotiate their release, explaining that after five years the kidnappers should realize there is no ransom coming, not from Sweden, not from SA and not from the UK. And not from the families.
GotG even went so far as to buy a good number of animals and donate to the villages in the region.
Hoping for a solution soon. Five years!

Let us not forget the AUstralian doctor and his wife who were kidnapped from Djibo in NW Burkina early this year where they had lived and served for 40 years.
Jocelyn Elliot was released shortly after but dr Ken Elliot is still held hostage by AQMI. He is 80.
https://www.facebook.com/StandUp4Elliot/

[priffe]

AFTER 2000 DAYS SWEDE JOHAN GUSTAFSSON WAS RELEASED TODAY AND IS RETURNING TO HIS FAMILY!
Amazing, totally Amazing. Five and a half years.
Haven't heard about the brit/southafrican yet.
Al-Qaeda frees hostage after six years - BBC News

[priffe]

Arrived in Stockholm still wearing the beard.
"Swedish government position is to never pay ransoms" the repeated answer to questions from journalists. Noone come up with the idea to ask by what other means the situation was resolved. Possibly a prisoner release from Mali/Niger mediated by the French DGSE.
The ransom was lowered from €20M to €4M by the organization Gift of the Givers, but they couldn't come up with the money. Then something started to happen about two months ago.
Increasing concerns now for Malcolm McGowan, the remaining hostage.

[Chris Scott]

Stephen McGown in a video along with 5 other hostages.

A Mali-based al-Qaeda affiliate has released a video of six foreign hostages ahead of a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the country.
They include a French NGO worker, an elderly Australian surgeon and a Colombian nun.

Hostages shown in al-Qaeda Mali video as Macron flies in - BBC News

[Richard Washington]

Just heard on the news in Namibia. Stephen McGown was released on 29 July 2017.

[Chris Scott]

Good news - a bit more here:
SA hostage in Mali released | News24

As far as I can tell, this release could be said to mark the last of the 'AQIM/pre-Arab Spring' era of Saharan abductions which started in Algeria in 2003 and reached a high point of 5 events a year between 2009-11.

Captives still unreleased from subsequent addictions date back to 2015 and were mostly grabbed from the Sahel.

https://sahara-overland.com/kidnappings/

[priffe]

Oh that's great news!
British hostages in the Sahara haven't fared so well in the past.
One wonders what it took to get Gustafsson and McGown free.
Chances are we will never know.
https://www.enca.com/south-africa/so...-mali-released

[Chris Scott]

McGown on TV. Looks cheerful; hope it lasts.
South African hostage Stephen McGown describes release - BBC News