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Western tourists attacked in Mauritania
NOUAKCHOTT, Nov. 29, 2009 (Reuters) — Unknown assailants attacked a group of Western tourists in Mauritania Sunday, according to diplomatic sources in the capital Nouakchott
One of the sources said the group was thought to be Spanish but no confirmation of their nationality or the nature of the attack was immediately available. (Reporting by Laurent Prieur; editing by Mark John) I just read it and i am planning trip to pass from Morroco to Gambia....Now i really worry much more!!!!!!!!! Anyone knows more info? :oops2: |
hmm, now i'm worried too.
Just ignore it? |
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i don think it will help... they had guns and stopped them while driving.... |
Four Spaniards feared kidnapped in Mauritania | Markets | Hot Stocks | Reuters
MADRID, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Four members of a Spanish humanitarian group are missing in Mauritania and may have been kidnapped, Spanish state news agency EFE said on Sunday. Three men and a woman working for Catalan-based NGO Barcelona-Accio were believed to have been seized at gunpoint while travelling in a convoy of vehicles, the agency said. EFE said other members of the convoy heard shouting and when they went to the vehicle in which the three had been travelling, they had disappeared. |
AFP: Three Spanish tourists kidnapped in Mauritania: diplomat
Three Spanish tourists kidnapped in Mauritania: diplomat (AFP) – 1 hour ago NOUAKCHOTT — Three Spanish tourists were kidnapped on Sunday in northwestern Mauritania on the road linking the capital Nouakchott to the city of Nouadhibou, a Spanish diplomatic source said. "Three tourists have been kidnapped, including a woman," the source said on condition of anonymity. "They were in a car, the last vehicle of a convoy that was heading from Nouadhibou to Nouakchott." The source said the convoy had earlier delivered aid to Nouadhibou and was transporting donations that they intended to drop off in various towns along the route. A security source also confirmed "the kidnapping of tourists" by armed men in a 4x4 vehicle near the town of Chelkhett Legtouta. Mauritanian authorities were searching for the kidnappers, the source said. The incident came days after a French citizen was kidnapped in the northeast of neighbouring Mali. |
we are screwed...
:helpsmilie::helpsmilie::helpsmilie::helpsmilie: |
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this could work in your favour as there will now be military swarming over the area and tightened security everywhere. Next time the bandits will strike elsewhere. We passed through a few days after the French family was murdered 2007 we were even in Aleg feeling safe since awareness was heightened ps - so Richard was partly right, it happened in Mauri - - - but they (the bad guys) mostly strike where you don't expect them to, right? |
A geography question for Sahara veterans
Chris and others, not too long ago I volunteered some information regarding the abduction of a foreign tourist couple in Tunisia. I hit the mark on direction of travel and the way the dress of couple after they were taken, long before the the facts became evident in the international press. I also predicted the couple would be released alive, they were.
I was asked, ordered, to give my sources or take flight to the HU bar with my observations. I did so. This time, I will approach the topic in a more appropriate manner. I have a simple question, based on observations from the same undisclosed source. Are there any remote caves or underground tunnels/facilities in the desert? Caves or underground tunnels that might have multiple secrete/hidden entrances and exits? Old mining sites or archeological digs? Just a thought regarding the location of the recent kidnap victims, right now. This is not a whim but a well reasoned question. If such little known natural/man made geographical features exist it would be helpful for me to have GPS locations. Thank you Eat, Drink and Be Careful xfiltrate |
There is the Choum railroad tunnel...
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Sounds to perfect to not be related...:
Mauritania Arrests 3 Suspected Terrorists, Tahalil Hebdo Says By Hannah Armstrong Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Mauritanian security forces arrested three men accused of joining the terrorist group Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the Mauritanian daily Tahalil Hebdo reported today. The group has claimed responsibility for attacks in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott this year, the murder of American citizen Christopher Leggett on June 23 and a suicide bombing in front of the French Embassy on Aug. 8 that wounded three. President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz vowed in his August inauguration speech to improve national security. Since then, France and Spain have pledged to help the security forces crack down on terrorism, smuggling and trafficking. Al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is based in the rugged Sahel region spanning Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Algeria. Mauritania Arrests 3 Suspected Terrorists, Tahalil Hebdo Says - Bloomberg.com |
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If i understood right, that happend in the major road??????
Totally not safe to ride alone on bike after that.... |
Another insight...
According to the El País, article (in Spanish) referenced by Chris, the victims were of director/executive status. Usually, the Spanish use paid volunteers "cooperanntes," for convoys.
This operation seems to have had specific targets with "inside" intel. It is not common for high level executives to travel with Spanish aid convoys. Where is the Choum railroad tunnel? I just noted from the El País article that one of the victims is director of a business that constructs tunnels, perhaps his expertise was needed by the hostage takers. Will have more tonight. Eat, Drink and Be Careful xfiltrate |
There is a gold mine in Akjoujt (in 97 it was still exploited, Don't know is stoll today). Old, abandoned Cooper mines too.
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I'm not a mining engineer but...
AFAIK these Akjoujt mines (still extant) are simple, open cast 'surface scraping/blasting' operations, no?
Same in much of the Sahara like Arlit and Zouerat and Bou Craa and all the salt mines. It's the whole point. Out there you don't need to dig down with the time, expense and danger, you just keep looking on the surface. Something economically viable will eventually turn up on the desert floor, especially with cheap local labour. I could be wrong but I have to say I find this talk of tunnels (we heard it before in 2003) and kidnapping tunnel execs a bit on the far side. Choum railway tunnel (the only one in the country?) was, I suspect, a joke... Funnily enough only the other day I passed on here how many tedious checkpoints there now were on this very road. Clearly not enough. Anyway, I hope it ends well for the 3 Spanish - and the French guy too. Ch |
Agreed with Chris, kidnapping the director of a tunnel company to use his expertise to build tunnels in the Sahara doesn't make sense to me. More likely they'll ask for a hefty ransom. Just like mlock, I plan to travel this road myself in the near future and this has me concerned! From the photo of the vehicle, it looks like the attack was on the asphalted main road (and that would make sense too, why would they convoy off-road down to Dakar?). Hopefully, it was a targeted attack and us "normal" tourists are still safe...
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Yes you said it right, hope to be targeted attack and leave us alone to ride... no matter we leave money to that countries, they want to kill us
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Shifting sands
Maybe this was a false flag operation that logically would be blamed on others who operate locally. Something bothers me about the reported precision of the operation and selection of high value hostages, who are now being reported as "volunteer workers."???
If it was false flag, and knowing that the search would probably be mostly land oriented, the hostages might have been or might eventually be taken toward the sea, and put aboard a boat, by those perhaps not familiar with the desert. Just an idea. As laughable as it might seem, and hopefully we will eventually know the facts, I still hold with the idea of some underground structure having played a role in this operation. At this point there is nothing more I can offer except my desire for the survival of the hostages. Eat, Drink and Be Careful xfiltrate |
If we are to speculate I will simply suggest that the hostages are already in Mali and that it will be a week or two before we hear more from them. Let's hope for the best.
Have the bearded dudes filled their quota yet? Perhaps not. There may be a few more attempts before the season's over. But the main road through Mauritania should be even safer to travel now than it was before the incident. ""It is true that the desert area is difficult to control," Moratinos has said, "but we are working for the hostages not to travel to another country," referring to neighboring Mali. Precisely, Moratinos has assured that he had already spoken with the president of Mali, who has initiated the cooperation with us. " As reported by the Spanish minister, the African country has given permission to the Mauritanian authorities "to come into Malian territory under the right of pursuit"" |
I would not assume it was targeted at an NGO (unless it's a very wealthy NGO) as much as Spanish nationals.
I was waiting for the boat idea to crop up but I read that (6?) EU (or EU-funded) patrol boats run up and down that coast suppressing traffickers heading for the Canaries. I'll stick my neck out and agree they're in north Mali now or soon. If the '170km-north of NKT' fact is correct, on GE it's right on a wide, fast inter-dune corridor which runs all the way NE over the rails and past Ben Amara. Cut a corner of the PFZ, back into Mori, past Tourine (which they know well...) and so into far north Mali. Only 1100km and a lot nearer/less risky than doing the same from Tunisia. Ch |
Mmmmm...... Just pulled into Northern Mali myself last night from Mori on the asphalt. I came down the NDB/NCT road a few days earlier. Phew.
As it was a 3 day holiday in Mori/Maroc/Mali for Eade there was no internet open before I left, but I guess it explains why there were no tourists arriving from the north for my last day at Auberge Menata. They can checkpoint the road all they like (with quite a few arse holes demanding almost by force a 'present' as was my experience) but there is a whole lot of nothing out there.... But an interesting tidbit though. On my last trip when I was heading north from 'chott to 'bou, we (two people, one car) decided to pull off and sleep for the night in the national park. I only had the gps for one of the villages by the ocean (starts with a N?) and after seemingly passing it on the asphalt road, we decided to cut across country towards it. Within 10 minutes we had military/police Toyotas either side of us who were quite mad. They explained they have radar/microwave or something like that over the whole area and our movements had been radioed in to them from 'bou. We were escorted another 20km or so to the park entrance and made to pay (wasn't trying to avoid it, it was getting dark etc) So some parts of the big nothing clearly have a method of tracking vehicles etc. How close to the park was the kidnapping? |
The village you're thinking of is Nouamghar where the beach piste used to start. '170km north of NKT' (as reported) is about 40km NE of Nouamghar at a point - coincidentally - is where the tarmac ends on the current Google sat image.
That is in the park according to one map I have - or possibly this former piste/current highway is the inland limit of the park. I know Banc d'Arguin is Unesco and all, but would they really use radar/microwave whatever to protect a few bat-eared skinks? Maybe that's where the money goes. Ch |
I was with a French woman and the Mori's explained and showed us how the system worked. Or at least they did to her (my French is only good for eating and avoiding giving presents). All I saw was a radio system, but they clearly radioed in that they had 'caught' us as they put it ;-)
Maybe they were bluffing, spreading the word amongst tourists, but they came from different directions and made a bee line for us. Thougt we were being kidnapped at the time...... Lets hope the Spanish get out very soon and smiling as much as possible.... |
I believe there is surveillance conducted by the Spaniards over the Mauritanian coast centered in Noadhibou to prevent people trafficking.
If traffic is that tightly monitored, all the more peculiar that three Spanioli were targeted for kidnapping? |
Mauritania denies that Spanish aid workers have been located
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The three cooperating NGO Catalans Barcelona-Acciò Solidarity, kidnapped on Sunday, have been found alive at 100 kilometers northeast of Akjout in the desert of scissors, as reported by local sources. The three Spanish would be in an area of dunes between Azzeffaz chains and Acchar. The NGO's spokesman, Josep Ramon Jimenez, confirmed the information and communicated it throughout the afternoon will meet with the Spanish ambassador, he has called "good news" but could not say whether the three volunteers were or were not released. |
The aid workers were 'well' while their abductors were negotiating a ransom with the Mauritanian army and with the Polisario Front, the independence movement of neighbouring Western Sahara, which Morocco regards as a part of its territory, El Mundo quoted Moroccan officials as saying.
... Spanish diplomats and secret service were mobilized in a search for the aid workers while Mauritania deployed five police patrols, two air force planes and ground troops, according to Spanish government sources. Read more: Mauritanian officials: Abducted Spanish aid workers located (2nd Lead) - Monsters and Critics |
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Great news then if it's true. Sounds like they ran out of stream and commitment like that second one in the Gilf last year.
"Aguouimite" in the report could be Aghoueinit (on my map) or Aguenit on Google, down in the PFZ (Western Sahara) by the Mori border. Maybe they realised they'd never make the run over to Mali. Ch |
i am more than happy to hear that they are all safe!!!!
:thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1: |
No it wasn't true
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Confusion
Something is going on
Spaniards 'taken hostage' in Mauritania Spanish authorities have had no contact with three Spanish volunteers kidnapped in Mauritania by suspected al-Qaeda militants over the weekend, Spain's ambassador has said. Ambassador Alonso Dezcallar y Mazarredo refused to comment on reports that the hostages had been found close to Nouakchott on Tuesday. There were also conflicting reports from Morocco over the fate of the three, who are feared to have been kidnapped on Tuesday by the hardline al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) - the north African branch of Osama bin Laden's Islamist network. "We cannot confirm nor deny reports that the hostages have been freed," the ambassador told a press conference. "We have not had contact with them since the kidnapping." The diplomat refused to give details about the search for the kidnappers and their hostages, saying it could endanger the lives of the volunteers and hamper rescue operations. "Our priority is the security of the hostages and getting them out alive," Dezcallar y Mazarredo said. Speaking later on Tuesday, a Moroccan security source announced that the three had been abandoned by their kidnappers in the Aguouimite region, a buffer zone located between northern Mauritania and southern Western Sahara. But this was promptly denied by a Moroccan government official. "This information is pure speculation," the official source told AFP in Rabat. |
No News/Contradicting News might be Good News
Apparently the international effort to rescue the Spanish has gone black.
A look, just now, at breaking news revealed nothing new. Hostage security is, of course, claimed to be the reason. I suspect a wild card beyond the neighborhood bad boys, and the intel boys are leveraging the situation so they can apply the most advantageous spin to official press releases. One might think, convoy "volunteers" would carry hidden tracking devices. Interesting that the abduction occurred near possible human trafficking routes. You, on the ground, will know if this seems significant or not. Eat, Drink and Be Careful xfiltrate |
Mali?
The Associated Press: Official: 3 Spanish hostages being taken to Mali
With a convoy of 13 cars the last one was attacked. It seems less likely that the attackers were targeting individuals - they just picked tha last vehicle. Rather than waiting by the roadside for potential victims, I would think they were following the convoy waiting for the moment to attack. The convoy was the target, and Spaniards (using Aqim logic) legitimate nationality for kidnapping. This is big business and therefore one would think the attacks are carefully planned rather than random. If they are planned, that means that there are measures that can be taken to avoid being kidnapped. Keep traveling schedules confidential, and also change them without notice, Don't hang around unnecessarily in the bad areas (say Mauritania east to Agadez). Stick with others. Be alert. I would also suggest that leaving a desert festival (such as Essakane) is the time to watch out. |
It is interesting to see how the story unfolds and try to figure out what is actually going on.
"Nouakchott/Madrid - Three Spanish aid workers abducted Sunday night have been moved to Mali, a high-ranking Mauritanian official said Wednesday. The Spanish government meanwhile said it was trying to determine 'the exact location' where the hostages were being held. The abductors were criminals cooperating with the North African branch of al-Qaeda, the official told the German Press Agency dpa on condition of anonymity. Gangs trafficking in drugs and migrants had moved into abductions as a source of income, the official explained. The Mauritanian and Western Saharan coast is a popular transit route for African migrants trying to reach Spain. The Spanish government has consistently said it could not confirm reports that the aid workers - two men and a woman - had been located. But in a communique issued Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said the government was working to 'determine the exact location of those abducted,' without giving more details. Spain was in contact 'at all levels' with the authorities of Mauritania and other countries in the region, the ministry said. Mauritanian security officials on Tuesday told dpa and a representative of the aid organization Barcelona Accio Solidaria that the aid workers had been found. The Spanish daily El Mundo on Wednesday quoted 'reliable sources' as saying the Spanish secret service had located the hostages, but that the Spanish government had not been in touch with the abductors. The sources denied media reports that the hostages had been released. Mauritanian security forces on Monday launched a massive manhunt for the aid workers who were abducted the previous night at gunpoint as they were returning to Nouakchott from the port city of Nouadhibou, near the border with Western Sahara. The Spaniards were in the last vehicle of an aid convoy." Read more: Spain probing "exact location" of Mauritania hostages (Roundup) - Monsters and Critics |
one more
Conflicting information about whereabouts of kidnapped Spanish aid workers
Conflicting information about whereabouts of kidnapped Spanish aid workers By: ThinkSpain , Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Conflicting reports about the situation of the three Spanish aid workers kidnapped in Mauritania on Sunday continue to abound, with Spain "neither confirming nor denying" that it knows of their whereabouts. During the course of the day yesterday, various reports were released suggesting that the three kidnapped Spaniards had been found 100km to the north west of Akjout, in the country's inland region, and even that they had been released. However, the Spanish ambassador in Nuakchot, Alonso Dezcállar, made it quite clear in a press conference that he had "no new information at the moment" and rejected outright the suggestion that the three aid workers had in fact already been released. When asked by journalists whether he knew the whereabouts of the kidnapped Spaniards, Dezcállar responded ambiguously, saying he could "neither confirm or deny" this report, a response that gave a glimmer of hope to the remaining charity workers who had been travelling with the convoy when the jeep Albert Vilalta, Alicia Gámez and Roque Pascual were travelling was ambushed by armed men. Whilst the other aid workers wait for news, the Mauritanian authorities are remaining silent about the situation and have only confirmed that they are working on a triple hypothesis: that the kidnappers have moved into the desert, that they have hidden their hostages in a nearby town and that they are bandits rather than Al Qaeda terrorists. Sources within the Mauritanian government have explained that the borders have been sealed, making it difficult for the kidnappers to have fled the country, despite the obvious permeability of the borders. Spain has made its resources in Mauritania available to the authorities, including a helicopter and an aeroplane, but the ambassador was unable to say whether or not the African country had accepted the help. |
Head of Mauritania's national police replaced : Africa World
Nouakchott - Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel-Aziz on Wednesday dismissed the head of the country's national police force, a senior official said. Abdel-Aziz replaced his close associate, Colonel Ahmed Ould Bekrine, with Colonel Anjagha Janik as head of the National Gendarmes, a Mauritanian official told the German Press Agency dpa, requesting anonymity. No reason was given for the change, but the colonel was one of the primary officers responsible for security along the road where three Spanish aid workers were abducted on Sunday night. The change also follows leaks from Mauritanian security sources on Tuesday night indicating that the abductors had been located. Spanish government officials have repeatedly said they could not confirm that information. A Mauritanian political official, speaking on condition of anonymity, on Wednesday said the aid workers had been taken to Mali. If so, they would have had to travel hundreds of kilometres from the coastal road where they were abducted, eluding a massive manhunt to reach the border. |
to go or not to go?
Mlock and others that consider to travel to/trough Mauritania,
I've been watching this topic (and other relevant topics) carefully since I've planned a trip to Marocco, Mauritania, Senegal. I'm really wondering how this influences your plans. Do you think all this will result in more security down the road from Nouadhibou to Nouakchott? |
Shuggie
Like ROB NL & MLOCK i am also planning a trip to said region.Although I am following this situation very closely,I am not altering my plans at the moment.I think the situation out there could change ether way in a short time,and hope things will settle down again once all the security forces(and diplomats)have shown their might.
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Guess its just hoping not to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Just rode solo through Mauri, also went east. No problems and still alive. Don't know if its the same convoy but think I overtook them in Morocco on the way south. Regulator |
How long is the drive from Nouadhibou to Nouakchott actually? About 5 or 6 hours I would guess?
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The convoy goes from NDB at 15:00. The kidnapping was while they are driving in the darkness !
Oh, that's good news in a way, since I assume it's much more unsafe to drive after dark, and I intend to do all my driving in daylight. |
Dear friends,
From my experience, it is very easy to take a vehicle from the NDB-NKT road to Mali without being noticed. A probable route could have been the along the firm corridor between the Azzefal and Akchar dunes, all the way to the southern Western Sahara border. From there its easy to avoid the Adrar Atar massif, by diverting a little to the north and head east already above Fderik. The single police checkpoint is located at Choum, in a flat area, that kidnappers can avoid by driving inside Western Sahara territory. The single issue would be fuel autonomy. But if they can reach the region of F'derik, fuel would be easily avaialable without stopping at Atar. Unfortunately, given the time that already as passed, I would tend to assume that the victims might be already in Mali. I think that it was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The road is populated by Western vehicles, thus it could had happen to any one.... Cheers, José |
Presuming Aqim is behind, I would think the kidnappers went straight for the border and were out of the country the next day.
Interesting how Mauritania intended to "seal" the Mali border - surely a daunting task. It says in the article below all borders were closed, also to Morocco. Are they open now? Kidnapped Spanish aid workers believed held in Mali (Magharebia.com) "Three Spanish aid workers kidnapped in Mauritania on November 29th are believed to have been moved from Mauritania, and the incident may have scuppered the possibility of talks between imprisoned Salafists and the government.' ... Following the incident, Mauritania declared a state of maximum alert and sent anti-terrorism units to its desert borders to seal off all outlets for the kidnappers. The borders with Mali, Algeria and Morocco were closed." |
I rode down this road about 2 weeks ago with an English guy who'd travelled it in a van about 9 months earlier and had prepared me for constant checks and "requests for gifts". The lack of police checks was striking. I don't recall getting stopped even once and only rode through maybe 4 checkpoints on the whole journey. Even the Piste down to the Diama crossing only had one checkpoin and they waved me through.
The few times I did get stopped in Mauritanian the police were so distracted by talking about the result of the Ireland - France game (and the hand ball) that I was never asked for anything more than a look at my passport. Same thing in Senegal. The Paddy passport was like a "get out of jail" card. I was due to ride back this same route but decided to air freight the bike back because I'd only end up doing the same roads again. Hmm - probably a good decision. |
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb | Mauritania | Algeria
http://www.globalpost.com/sites/defa...Qaeda_edit.jpg The Mauritanian military escorts the Spanish humanitarian organization, Barcelona Accio Solidaria, against potential attacks by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The convoy is traveling through Mauritania on their way to the Senegal border, near Nouachott on December 2, 2009. "For the last eight years they had followed well-publicized routes through Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. This time, as the volunteers traversed the stretch of sand-swept pavement that is Mauritania’s main highway, a group of armed men lay in wait. .... Members of the convoy heard gunshots at about 8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29, they told reporters. Those in front raced back to the caravan’s last car. The Land Rover stood abandoned in the dark, doors gaping open. Money and equipment remained inside. The passengers had vanished." |
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If this is true: "For the last eight years they had followed well-publicized routes..." then that is the kind of info that would facilitate the planning of a kidnapping. |
I traveled this route yesterday, after runing into said convoy on the Nouakchott diama track, in fact i had to help dig one of there trucks out of deep sand!! the main road has 11 checkpoints along the route up to nouadibou , none terribly stringent but then i was on a bike, think they were giving most cars the once over, and the night before i was in a local`s car and whenever we got stopped they looked in the boot.
I know what has happened is terrible but it would not stop me using this route, to my way of thinking it is safer than ever. Maybe a big convoy, and this was a big convoy.....might demand, get more news and a more likely result regards ransom. stu |
Hello,
interesting article on El Khabar. Translated from Arabic to Englisch: Terrorists used the spanish hostages as human shields Regards Ulrich |
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Also, it brings up the old 'masked Amir Mokhtar Belmokhtar' chestnut which makes that article sound even more like an element of Alg state propaganda. (Not that others don't have an agenda too, of course)
Ch |
The idea of using the prisoners as human shields strikes me as plausible. If engaged by the military, threats to the prisoners are their only ticket out of there. And if I were the Mauri military, I wouldn't want the episode discussed because it emphasises the powerlessness of the military when shields are used. As I said earlier, I reckon this is the most plausible explanation for the false news of the early release. They were spotted, perhaps surrounded, but had to be left alone.
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This is the kind of condemnation we all too seldom hear from islam authorities. It was the same after xmas 2007 Aleg killings. Kudos to Mauritania for being speaking out so clearly. Wish the rest of the muslim world did the same (Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi....)
Maghreb News Mauritanian imam denounces kidnappers as false Muslims 2009-12-06 The imam of the Nouakchott mosque spoke out during Friday prayers against the kidnappers of 3 Spanish humanitarian aid workers in northern Mauritania last week, AFP and ANI reported on Saturday (December 5th). "All those who violate the peace in the land of Islam and cause trouble for Muslims cannot be called Muslims and cannot have links with Islam," Ahmadou Ould Lemrabott said. "The real Salafists are those who cling to the right path of the first guides of our holy religion. This is not those who kill and spread terror among Muslims," he added. The three Spanish nationals, including one woman, were kidnapped on November 29th by armed terrorists while travelling in a solidarity caravan along the Nouadhibou-Nouakchott road. Security sources believe that may have been taken to al-Qaeda camps in northern Mali. |
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it seems to be Al Qaeda as expected:
"An al-Qaeda offshoot has reportedly said its members kidnapped three Spanish aid workers in Mauritania and a Frenchman in Mali last month." BBC News - Al-Qaeda 'to blame' for Mauritania and Mali kidnappings |
So it seems
Ennahar Online - Three Spaniards detained by AQIM "hardliners" Menaka (Mali) – The three humanitarian Spanish abducted in late November in Mauritania are detained by the hardliners of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), who also hold a French hostage kidnapped in the same period, we learned Tuesday from security sources in northern Mali. "The three Spaniards are in the hands of the hardliners of AQIM led by Abu Zeid, according to security source in Menaka, in northern Mali. "It is very dangerous. We must act quickly. It’s Abu Zeid who killed a British tourist" Edwin Dyer, executed in June by the North African branch of Al-Qaeda, said the same source. Last week, the Spanish newspaper El Pais, based on " sources close " to the Spanish secret services, had said that the three Spaniards were instead in the hands of the "least radical" branch of AQIM conducted by the 'Algerian Mokhtar Belmokhtar. Quote:
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This may not be at the news: yesterday a direct relative of a Spanish kidnaped man told us: "the Spanish gov offered a lot of cash to a.q. but they don't want to take the money yet. we are not going to have nice Christmas"
Why holding them for longer ? Just for publicity ? |
Well yes, they may not be asking only for money at this time. They will want make a political gain also, and to justify their actions probably demand liberation of AQ prisoners in Spain.
What did they ask for letting the tuna fishing boat in Somalia go? Aqim seems to be less businessminded and more islamistic than the Somalis. Time is on the kidnappers side as long as nobody starts going after them. Terrible situation for Barcelona. Al Jazeera English - Africa - Al-Qaeda group claims kidnappings "A spokesman claiming to represent al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings last month of four Europeans in Mali and Mauritania. The claim was made in an audiotape obtained by Al Jazeera on Tuesday. "Two units of the valiant mujahedeen managed to kidnap four Europeans in two distinct operations: the first in Mali where Frenchman Pierre Camatte was seized on November 25, and the second in Mauritania where three Spaniards were held on November 29," the spokesman, who identified himself as Saleh Abu Mohammad, said on the tape. He added that "France and Spain will be informed later of the legitimate demands of the mujahedeen", but did not go into detail about the demands." edit: on Aqim websites they have ranted about the return of al-Andalus, referring to the former islamic part of Spain. And how Ceuta and Melilla must be taken back - maybe that will be their demands... The Spanish hostages must have been very much targeted. |
Hello,
today the so called "Al Qaeda", former GSPC, for me just criminals an nothing else, have today released on an islamic webside an statement. Translated from Arabic to English: Quote:
http://www.desert-info.ch/download/p...ntfmauri-1.jpg Regards Ulrich |
Latest press release from Aqim
Al-Qaeda demands release of prisoners in exchange for Spaniards - Monsters and Critics |
Sorry priffe,
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In the statement (see my article before Yours) GSPC, respective the criminals, wrote, that Quote:
Ulrich |
Well it was reported that Aqim Wednesday December 9 released a "second part of the same message".
Al Qaeda: Kidnapped Spanish aid workers in 'good health' - CNN.com But you're probably right that they're only speculating. We'll have to wait until Aqim announces their demands. What does seem clear at this stage is that -Aqim is behind the kidnappings of the frenchman and three spaniards. -they have been taken to Mali -this follows the pattern of earlier kidnappings Besides the news there are blogs that may be worth following aqim - Google Bloggsök |
I think that the worst thing is to spread out fear. I see other riders that will take the same direction as me...and pass from the place that the Aqim made the kidnap, worry too much,as i do, if they will meet sth like that. As we see it doesnt help if you drive with 10-20 bikes together or alone. It was a convoy of many cars and they got the last. That happend when driving at night, which for me is the mistake they did. Of course its not mistake to drive at night, but when you are in a region where Aqim is mostly present, you must take all the scenarios in mind and make ONLY right steps.
If you ride from early morning until the sunset and sleep safe in a place the possibilites for something to go wrong like that, are the same as if you were driving in any other place in the world. The members of Aqim are very clever and they know very well who to kidnap and who not, when and when not. This is the point of view from a 27yrs guy. :scooter::thumbup1: |
any news for the people kidnapped?
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NO - nothing
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Latest news from AFP
This dropped in my inbox today.....
Contacts to free Europeans held by Al-Qaeda in Africa By Serge Daniel (AFP) BAMAKO — Intermediaries have contacted Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to obtain the release of a Frenchman kidnapped in Mali and three Spaniards abducted in Mauritania, several sources said Friday....more here AFP: Contacts to free Europeans held by Al-Qaeda in Africa Nick |
It appears the mayor of Tirkent Ould Sheikh is on the job again. He seems to be the regular gobetween in the Mali kidnappings.
With the Canadians he claimed he was never even paid. AFP: Contacts to free Europeans held by Al-Qaeda in Africa "BAMAKO — Intermediaries have contacted Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to obtain the release of a Frenchman kidnapped in Mali and three Spaniards abducted in Mauritania, several sources said Friday. According to information obtained by AFP, at least three intermediaries are trying to obtain the freedom of the four Europeans held since late November in a desert region on the border between Mali and Algeria. "We check everything, we pay attention to the slightest detail that could be useful in these cases and efforts are speeding up," a Malian security source told AFP. The "historic channel" -- the name given to negotiations led by dignitaries from northern Mali -- is active again. One of these notables, involved since 2003 in efforts to free hostages in northern Mali, is on the ground where he can talk to the kidnappers. "This contact is there, but I can't say any more," a Malian source close to the case said. France has sent a team of specialists to Bamako to "push forward the dossier," but they became irritated after the press published articles about the hostage affair, the same source said. According to the scenario developed over the years, intermediaries make contact with the kidnappers, then return with their demands, which usually includes the release of detained Islamist activists. Then begins the back-and-forth process between kidnappers and authorities. "We remain prudent, but optimistic. Things are moving, rather fast," said the Malian security source. A foreign source close to the case stressed that "France, Spain, Mali and Mauritania work hand-in-hand. It's clear that the objective is to obtain the release of the four Europeans together." Frenchman Pierre Camatte, 61, was seized on November 26 in the Malian town of Menaka, more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) northeast of Bamako. Three days later, armed men kidnapped the three Spaniards -- Roque Pascual, 50, Albert Vilalta, 35, and Alicia Gamez, 35 -- on the Nouadhibou-Nouakchott coast road in Mauritania. They were at the tail end of an aid convoy. The North African branch of Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for both kidnappings on December 8. At first, it appeared that the French hostage were in the hands of Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, an Algerian and one of the most radical emirs of AQIM, while the three Spaniards were being held by another Algerian, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, alias Belawar, reputedly more "moderate." Later, a well-informed source affirmed that the Europeans were all being held by the hardline wing of AQIM, the group led by Abu Zeid, who executed British hostage Edwin Dyer in June. Since then, it would be wiser simply to say that the four hostages are "in the hands of AQIM," several sources told AFP. "Whether it's Abu Zeid, Belawar, or even Abu Yaha Amane (another AQIM chief closer to Abu Zeid than Belawar), there are links among them all," a foreign security source said. "That's an advantage for negotiations, but it's also a drawback," the source added. "To toughen up negotiations, one part of the group can play the 'bad guys' while the other plays the 'good guys'." |
i hope the best for all of those that did nothing bad....
anyone that has news post it please. :(:( |
It seems, that there was a second event
Mauritanie: 2 Italiens disparus, "forte probabilité" d'enlèvement (source sécuritaire) - Le Monde.fr [translation here] [location here] |
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From Reuters:
UPDATE 2-Italian couple missing in eastern Mauritania | News by Country | Reuters Regional news feeds here |
Bad, bad, bad.
That is close to the Mali border, on the regular Nouakchott - Bamako route. Also this one may be different from the other in that it appears to have been more random. An Italian man in his 60s with a Burkina wife (also Italian citizen) and Ivorian driver. All missing, Minibus riddled with bulletholes found by the road. They were driving after dark. |
Were they taken near Kubani?
As I understand the kidnappings are well planned and they don't just hide in the bush and wait for the next western car? If so, why these guy's? Are they rich or are the some other reasons? I don't like this... I get the feeling that I'm not safer just because I spend my last money on the fuel to Africa and don't have rich relatives nor a good job... I hope it works out well for them!:( |
Latest incident - Italian Couple
Italian couple kidnapped in Mauritania - report Swissinfo
A diplomat in Mauritania told Reuters the incident seemed "more and more" like a kidnapping but it was not clear who was responsible. Malian security forces ... Italian couple kidnapped in Mauritania - report - swissinfo Looks like local gangs may be starting to jump on the band wagon Worth monitoring Nick |
Yes, near Kubanni. Just north of the border, south of Ayoun. Chris wrote Aime msira - is that the border station on the Mauri side?
One would like the kidnappings to follow a pattern. If they are random then how could one steer clear? This is the second kidnapping in Mauri in one month, both on major roads. There is obviously no real protection to be had. We don't know much about what is happening, it is mostly guesswork. Who are the kidnappers? Are they zealots driven ideologically or just contractors in it for the money? Locals or are they coming from NE Mali? Are they waiting in ambush for someone worth their while or are these attacks planned long in advance? Are there many different groups? etc. Don't drive alone and don't drive at night. |
'Aime Msira' was my interpretation of Google Maps' spelling of "... department of Kobeni Mauritania, near the town of N'Eissira..." quoted in the original Le Monde report.
Aime Msira looks like a Mauritanian village/border post on the Mali border and south of 'Kubanni' (as Google spell it) on the road from Ayoun. I can't guarantee it's correct at this early stage. Ch |
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From an operational pov, I can imagine it is easier to plan a timed raid on a tarred road with regular and frequent Western traffic than to sit vulnerable and exposed on a desert track for a week hoping someone will turn up. I think AQIM struck here (and way out West on the coastal road) simply because they knew they could rock up, wait a short while, bag foreigners and get out quick. I doubt any of the victims were targeted specifically, more a case of wrong place, wrong time. |
Italy confirms couple kidnapped in Mauritania
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The Italians
When I read the last Richard K speculation doubting the woman, a native of Burkina Faso, or some other African country, and the Italian man were targeted, I wonder if the agenda of the couple was in opposition, competition or "seemingly" in bed with the abductors.
Common sense dictates that anyone traveling at night in the area where they were taken (very close to a "camp?") might have well been with a specific agenda. The tourism agenda seems unlikely, at least by my standards, after official and world press descriptions of recent hostage takings in the region. I would speculate, that she with language fluency needed and he perhaps with negotiating authority might have been attempting some kind of a deal the nature of which I will leave open to the speculation of others. They might have been involved in some stage of a rescue attempt themselves. I agree with Ronnie79 that hostage taking in the region is well planned, I would add the possibility of a network of "eyes" reporting to some form of central command (camp?). The abundance of gunfire, (the reported sound of gunfire and the "bullet ridden" vehicle,) might indicate the couple, and/or the driver, were armed. Eat, Drink and Be Careful xfiltrate |
from Reuters UPD 3: ... and the al Qaeda bases are just a few kilometres, as the bird flies, from where the seizure took place..."
I would be interested to hear more about this apparently well-known AQ camp. If it's been there a while it's a wonder travellers have not been attacked before. This is hardly a remote corner of Mauritania, I imagine many readers here have taken this route into Mali. Ch |
Damn, sorry to read this latest ... :frown:
Here’s a question. How would you assess the risk of a motorcyclist(s) being kidnapped, vs. travelers in a 4 wheel vehicle? I have a sense that bad guys tend to leave riders alone. I couldn’t pinpoint why, but that’s my sense from personal experience and following ride reports here and elsewhere for a number of years. Maybe I’ve missed some reports but the only motorcyclist I can recall having been kidnapped is Heggstad in Colombia a number of years ago. Yes there may be fewer riders than 4 wheel travelers but still … any thoughts? |
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On the other hand, maybe it is because most of the attacks seem to happen at night, and most riders do not ride at night in these areas? |
Hi Ride Far,
as far as I remember, at least four of the persons kidnapped 2003 in Algeria were on a motor bike. Concerning other theories about kidnappings only on main roads, were the two Austrians 2008 (maybe Tunesia) on a main road? What about the swiss couple in Mali/Niger this year. I also remember some news about AQM men going into a village near Ouadane this year, asking for Europeans .... I'm not sure you can exclude certain persons, roads or times by theory. |
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I doubt very much that Aqim has "known camps" anywhere in the desert. or they would be under attack, no? Certainly not near this road where there's a lot of traffic going to Bamako and beyond. We're now contemplating going Kiffa-Kayes instead of Ayoun - Nioro. Whaddyall think? If besides Algeria 2003 no biker was ever kidnapped in Africa, why why why worry? If you're a biker. |
Some more details
Italy Working to Free Citizens Kidnapped in Mauritania | Africa | English "Italy's foreign ministry says it is working through all political and diplomatic channels to secure the release of Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kabouree. ... In this latest apparent kidnapping, Cicala's daughter Alexia told Italian television that her father and his second wife live in Sicily and were traveling to Burkina Faso to visit Kabouree's 12-year-old son. Cicala urged Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini to move quickly to establish contact with the kidnappers. A foreign ministry statement is calling for media discretion "to guarantee the safety of the hostages."" |
Hello,
that writes El Pais today: Quote:
Gogoonisch Regards Ulrich |
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If they can't guarantee the safety near the frontier, where can they?
Kobenni is about 17 km linear distance from a checkpoint at the frontier (only looked it up in GE) and there are still some villages inbetween. Very sad. |
Has anything been said/heard about the Spanish aid workers kidnapped a short while before? Or did I miss the outcome?
"If besides Algeria 2003 no biker was ever kidnapped in Africa, why why why worry? If you're a biker." - Priffe Priffe, I like your approach and sincerely hope you're right - for the sakes of us who ride rather than drive! Not sure that my government could meet any kind of ransom demand... Whether it is mode of transport, nationality or religion or a combination of them all... I still find it humiliating that we can be so at odds with each other that - as humans - we go to such extremes to further our causes. And that fingers humanity as a whole, I suppose... My thoughts remain with them all. And with us all. |
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Regards Ulrich |
Very interesting. Here's perhaps xfiltrates "3rd party"...
"Bellawar"... Good news, I think! Bienvenue chez Lakoom-info.com Global Times - Mauritanian authorities arrest leading kidnapper of Italian couple |
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE5BL1MR.htm
NOUAKCHOTT, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Mauritanian security forces have arrested a Malian suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of an Italian couple near the Mali-Mauritania border, security sources said on Tuesday. Abderrahmane Ben Meddou, who was arrested in Mauritania's eastern town of Kobenni on Monday, is suspected of having helped identify and follow the Italian couple in return for promises of thousands of dollars, Mauritania's news agency reported. The kidnapping is the latest in a string of seizures of foreigners by armed groups in West Africa, some of whom have links with al Qaeda's North African wing, AQIM. "He was arrested in Kobenni by the gendarmes," a security source told Reuters, referring to the eastern Mauritanian town near to where the Italian couple's bullet-riddled car was found abandoned on Saturday. The Malian is currently being questioned by the authorities in the capital, Nouakchott, the security sources added. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping but Italy said it is using all its political and diplomatic channels to try to secure the release of the couple. Citing intelligence sources, Mauritania's AMI news agency said Ben Meddou has told officials that he had found and followed potential hostages in return for a promise of 10 million CFA francs ($21,810) at the end of the operation. It was not immediately clear who Ben Meddou was working for but local media reports suggested the Italians, and three Spaniards taken last month in Mauritania, were kidnapped on the orders of various factions of AQIM. Analysts and diplomats suspect the Italian couple have been taken into Mali's remote north, where other foreigners, including the Spaniards and a Frenchman al Qaeda says it is also holding, are believed to be. Rather than carrying out kidnappings themselves, Islamists in the region are believed to rely on local gangs, generally involved in the smuggling of cigarettes, weapons, drugs and people, to seize foreigners who are then passed on to them. |
Interesting article from RFI about the secret negotiatons to free the hostages.
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Google translation Regards Ulrich |
i think the end is near....
i hope the best for the hostages and have good christmans |
The mauritanian Imam Abu Hanna has written an handbook for AQMI how to handle hostages.
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Gogoonisch - English Also interesting: The involvement of an mauritanien police-officer at the abduction. Quote:
Gogoonisch - English Regards Ulrich |
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