Closing up shop

An intercontinental move and pressing personal concerns have left me unable to update this blog as often as I’d like to anymore, so I’ve decided to let it go, living on in the universe of blogs. The last nearly two years have shown me that hostage-taking is – and will continue to be – a significant tactic of terror around the globe, as the most recent cases in Pakistan and Darfur show but just a few examples. I hope that the many good organisations out there who are working to combat this crime against humanity are supported in carrying their work forward and everyday citizens donate money and time to eradicating this scourge from our planet.

Proof of life

The Spanish government has received a video showing three Spanish aid workers alive and apparently well after being kidnapped before Christmas in Mauritania. The three – identified as Alicia Gámez, Roque Pascual and Albert Vilalta – had been working for a Barcelona-based charity when they were seized by AQIM – Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and taken across the border into Mali.

There had been special concerns regarding the health of Vilalta, who was shot in the leg at the time of the kidnapping, but in the video he appeared healthy and bandaged. The government says that receipt of the video means they are able to begin negotiations on behalf of their compatriots; however, the Spanish authorities stress that they will not pay any ransom demanded by the hostage takers.

Disappearing journalists

Last year I wrote about how Mexico has taken centre stage as a hotbed for kidnapping in the Western Hemisphere. The country started out the new decade with a bang – literally – as 69 persons around Mexico were murdered in the first day of the year. And kidnapping, particularly by drug cartels, continues unabated, but now there is a rising category of victims – journalists.

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported last week that two journalists, José Luis Romero and María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe, had been targets of abduction in the last two months. Nine reporters have been kidnapped since 2005. That number rose to 10 late last week when another journalist, Valentín Valdés Espinosa, was abducted and later killed in Saltillo. CPJ’s research reveals what a precarious profession journalism is in Mexico, with dozens of journalists murdered in the last two decades. Sadly, many more journalists remain on the “missing” list after being abducted and feared dead.

Deadline for French hostage in Mali

Al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have threatened to murder hostage Pierre Camatte in 20 days unless four Al Qaeda members are released from prison. Camatte, abducted in Mali two months ago, shortly before AQIM kidnapped several Spaniards near the border of Mauritania and Mali.

Last year, AQIM carried out the execution of a British hostage after similar demands went unmet. AQIM has not announced yet what conditions it is placing on the release of its Spanish captives.

Freedom, for better and worse

The Philippines’ Abu Sayyaf Group has freed a teenager that they’d held hostage for four months in Basilan. Nineteen-year-old Donald John Capili is said to be in good condition, but the ASG continues to hold two Chinese citizens in the area.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, the militant alleged to be behind the kidnapping of Peter Moore and four other Britons has been freed, said the Interior Ministry. The release of Qais al-Khazali is said to provide hope that the whereabouts of the remaining hostage, Alan McMenemy, thought to be dead, will be confirmed. The family member of one of the hostages killed, however, has criticised the practice of negotiations with terrorists:

Captive French journalists “alive and well”

Two reporters who were abducted northeast of Kabul on Wednesday along with their Afghan assistants are said to be alive, healthy and well-treated. The journalists were filming a documentary for French channel FR3 when they were seized in Kapisa Province, allegedly by Taliban militants. Deutsche Welle reports a steady rise in kidnappings in Afghanistan, with journalists being the frequent target of attack.

Hostage Peter Moore freed in Iraq

A post-Christmas blessing has come to the family of Briton Peter Moore, who has been freed after two years of captivity in Iraq. Moore was one of five foreigners abducted in May 2007 in Baghdad, where he was working as a contractor at the Finance Ministry. Three of his fellow hostages were killed: another is thought to very likely be dead. Moore is said to be healthy and happy to be free, though friends worry about the long recovery ahead.

Mauritania kidnappings on the rise

Last week, an Italian couple were abducted in Mauritania as they made their way to Burkina Faso to visit the woman’s son. The bullet-ridden vehicle of Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kabouree was found near the Mauritanian border with Mali; Italian authorities suspect the kidnapping was perpetrated by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Mauritanian security forces have arrested a Malian suspect in connection with the hostage-taking, the second incident involving foreigners in the past month – three Spanish humanitarian aid workers also were kidnapped in Mauritania on 29 November. The employees of Barcelona Acción Solidaria are also thought to be in the hands of AQIM, who shot at their convoy before seizing the three. Counter-terrorism analysts foresee an increase in hostage-taking by AQIM, especially as more western oil conglomerates invest in the region.

Taliban release hostage video

An alleged video of US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, kidnapped on 30 June near the southern border of Afghanistan, has been released by the Taliban. The video shows the young soldier speaking clearly and appearing unharmed. It is unknown whether he is being held in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

Updates

–Yesterday’s entry ended tragically. The body of Luis Francisco Cuéllar was found surrounded by explosives on Tuesday. It is thought that his FARC kidnappers slit his throat as military troops drew near to them. The killing reawakened arguments about how far President Uribe’s democratic security policy has really gone in combating the rebels.

–Three German children who were abducted with their parents seven months ago in Yemen have been spotted in a video. The family was picnicking with three others whose bodies were found shortly thereafter. A former hostage in Yemen is now involved in investigating the case.

–And Somali pirates have vowed to continue holding a British couple kidnapped from their yacht, who will celebrate Christmas in captivity with their favourite foods as their captors await a ransom payment.