Mali: AQIM frees South African national held hostage for six years

Event

The South African government announced on Thursday, August 3, that a South African national who had been held hostage by Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) since 2011 had been released on July 29. AQIM originally kidnapped the South African citizen along with two other men outside a hotel in Timbuktu; a German national was also shot and killed during the abduction. One of the other victims, a Swedish national, was released on June 26, while the third hostage, a Dutch national, was freed during a security raid in 2015. The South African government did not release any specific information about the circumstances of last week's release, although unconfirmed reports indicate that a ransom was paid.

Context

Six people are believed to still be held hostage in the Sahel region, including a Colombian nun, a French humanitarian worker, and a Swiss missionary, who were abducted in Mali. A Romanian mining worker and an Australian doctor were abducted in Burkina Faso along with an American humanitarian worker. It is unclear if AQIM is behind all these abductions.

AQIM has taken a number of Westerners hostage in the past decade. Foreign nationals face a particularly high risk of kidnapping, especially from jihadist groups, throughout the Sahel region, although kidnappings have decreased since the French military deployed troops to the region in 2014 (Barkhane forces). Though the risk of kidnapping is significantly higher on the border regions of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, the capital cities of these countries (Niamey, Ouagadougou, Bamako) are not exempt from this threat.

Mali has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, when armed men stormed the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, leaving at least 20 people dead (including 14 foreign nationals). The attack was later claimed by militant group Al-Mourabitoun, in conjunction with AQIM. The state of emergency was most recently extended in April 2017 (currently in effect through October). Numerous armed groups are present throughout the Sahel region, including AQIM, Ansar Dine, and Al-Mourabitoun. Since March 2017, various attacks have been claimed in Mali by militants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a recently formed Al-Qa'ida ally, that formed out of a merger between Ansar Dine, Al-Mourabitoun, and the Macina Liberation Front. The group is led by Iyad Ag Ghali, the veteran leader of Ansar Dine.

Advice

The security environment in Mali remains complex, particularly in the north and central regions.

Due to the underlying terrorist and kidnapping threats prevalent in the country, all those present in Mali are advised to remain discreet regarding personal details, particularly information concerning nationality, employment, family, etc. Individuals are also advised to avoid public events and places frequented by Westerners, to remain vigilant at all times (especially in local markets, now used by terrorists as recruitment grounds), and to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel.