If the statement by AQIM proves to be true, my thoughts are with the family of the victim. This does however raise serious questions about the British government's refusal to pay ransom money or negotiate.
While I am not suggesting that paying ransoms is appropriate in all situations, it seems that the vast majority of recent kidnappings of westerners in North Africa (ie Austrians in Tunisia etc) have been successfully resolved by the payment of a ransom. This suggests that either AQIM, the GSPC, or whichever local variation of these groups is responsible, is primarily motivated by money, rather than political means.
Where hostage death have occured they have generally been by dehydration / stress caused by capitivity, or due to a shoot-out with government forces. This would appear to be a rare case where the hostage takers have executed the hostage.
As travellers we all know the risk of entering regions where the politicial climate is not stable, and therefore we don't necessarily expect a government to bail us out, but it would still be nice to know that government policy is not so inflexible as to rule out negotiation / ransoms, where this may result in successfully freeing a hostage.
|