Five years on: Negotiations continue for SA hostage in Mali

[schumi]

Johannesburg – Gift of the Givers says negotiations are continuing in an effort to have two hostages being held in Mali, including South African Stephen McGown, freed after five years of captivity.

"We pray that by this Christmas we succeed in securing an unconditional release as we have run out of options," the organisation said in a statement on Wednesday.

McGown and Swedish national Johan Gustafsson have been held by al-Qaeda in Mali since their abduction in November 2011.

Friday marks five years since they were taken.

Gift of the Givers said its hostage negotiator, Yehia Dicko, was currently in Mali.

Dicko was appointed and sent to Mali in July 2015.

It said Dicko was requested earlier this week to meet "influential" people on the Algerian border, however the organisation had since lost communication with him.

Proof of life

Tribal, religious and spiritual leaders were now negotiating with al-Qaeda on Gift of the Givers' behalf.

"They say, in principle, the AQIM 'elders' agree on an unconditional release but there is resistance and reluctance from the youth. Negotiations continue," Gift of the Givers said.

It said it was informed by the captors that they would send proof of life via video soon.

The organisation added that the situation was tense after the local elections of November 20 in the north were rejected.

"Polling stations were attacked and bombs have exploded everywhere. The situation is tense but the efforts continue right now on the Algerian border," it said.

Since the organisation started negotiating for the two, it has emphasised that it has no ransom money to pay.

News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/N...ions-continue-for-sa-hostage-in-mali-20161124

 

[Randy_The_Squirrel]

Dicko was appointed and sent to Mali in July 2015.

:crylaugh:

 

[schumi]

SA hostage in Mali marks 2000 days in captivity

Johannesburg - More than five years after her son was captured by a rebel group in Mali, Stephen McGown’s ailing mother wants him freed before she takes her last breath, Gift of the Givers said.

Wednesday marks 2000 days in captivity for McGown and Swedish national Johan Gustafsson. al-Qaeda in Mali had been holding them captive since November 2011.

“A dying mother hoping to see her son before her last breath, a young wife awaiting union with her husband with hope in her heart, sisters yearning for brotherly love - no human can understand this except those who are victims of a similar anguish,” the foundation’s chairperson and founder Imtiaz Sooliman said in a statement.

The men’s families appointed Gift of the Givers on June 23, 2015, to try and secure their release.

They sent a negotiator, Mohamed Yehia Dicko, into various regions of Mali and Niger to find to people who could help. Dicko went in eight times and spent 100 days travelling 700km in the deepest rural regions to achieve a breakthrough, Sooliman said.

He found two intermediaries who had a history of negotiating with al-Qaeda in Mali. They agreed to put forward their case.

Sooliman said they tried every effort to secure unconditional release by appealing to the goodwill of tribal and religious leaders. They tried to win over the rural populations through the humanitarian services they provided and succeeding in convincing the intermediaries to put in a good word for them.

All they achieved was reducing the ransom request from 20m to 8.5m euros, which neither family could afford to pay.

Since the organisation started negotiating for the two, it had emphasised that it had no ransom money to pay.

“We have reached a dead end.”

The two families appealed to the King of Qatar to intervene. Sooliman said the king had been successful in negotiating the release of many a hostage at the behest of diverse governments.

“In the event we are not successful in this endeavour and the captors still refuse an unconditional release, then the stark and unfortunate reality is that these two innocent family members are never coming home.”

Sooliman called on governments, organisations, or anyone with influence to help.

“It's painful to witness the desperation and prolonged suffering of these two families,” he added.

He said they had not made progress in finding South African photojournalist, Shiraaz Mohamed who was captured in Syria 127 days ago.

No group had come forward nor were there any demands, he said.

News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sa-hostage-in-mali-marks-2000-days-in-captivity-20170517