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.

Hunting for a kidnapped governor

Colombian forces are on a desperate quest to find Luís Francisco Cuéllar, governor of the southern state of Caquetá, who was abducted by more than 60 FARC rebels after they threw a grenade at his home yesterday. Cuéllar had been threatened by the FARC on numerous occasions prior to the kidnapping.

The FARC have been poised to release several of their hostages prior to the new year, including the soldier Pablo Moncayo, whose family has been waiting for his freedom for over a decade. The kidnapping of Cuéllar is thought to give the FARC renewed negotiating power, as the only politician in their custody.

In related (and disturbing) news, the BBC announced last week that there are discussions between FARC and its rival rebel group, the ELN, to join forces against the government. However, government representatives dismissed the idea, saying the two groups are two ideologically different and competing to control the same territory.

Hey, did you hear?

Illness and travel have left me absent from the blog lately, but here are some headlines from the past few weeks:

–Two UN aid workers kidnapped in Sudan have been freed today following negotiations by community leaders. The two – a Nigerian man and Zimbabwean woman – were working for the UN in Darfur when they were abducted 100 days ago.

–An Iraqi member of Parliament has alleged that British hostage Peter Moore, kidnapped more than two years ago in Baghdad, is being held by Iran.

–Former FARC hostage Consuelo Gonzalez has announced her intention to run for the seat in Congress that she held before she was kidnapped back in 2001 and held for six years. She’s not the only one with such intentions – the father of current hostage Pablo Moncayo, Gustavo, said he intends to contest a Senate seat in the March elections. And Clara Rojas (pictured), freed with Gonzalez in January last year, also hopes to gain a Senate seat, running under the Colombian Liberal Party.