Two Russian citizens kidnapped by Al Qaeda in Niger

An al Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel region of West Africa has taken two Russian citizens hostage in Niger, al Qaeda announced in a video posted by the group on August 2.

Hostage-taking is common in Africa's Sahel region, largely for economic reasons. (Daily Post)

Video posted on the Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) media platform shows two hostages saying they were captured while working for a Russian company in southwestern Niger.

Speaking in English with Russian accents, they both identified themselves as Russian and said they had been taken hostage in Mbanga, about 60km west of the capital Niamey. They did not say when they had been kidnapped.

It is unclear when and where the video was filmed. There is no ransom demand in the video.

In recent years, the border area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has been plagued by conflicts and hostage-taking incidents.

Local authorities said the ransom for a hostage in the area could reach 43 million CFA francs (about $70,000) in 2022 and rise to 52.4 million CFA francs (about $87,000) in 2023.

According to experts, the cause of kidnappings is economic interests, not hatred or religious conflicts.

The alarming rate of kidnappings in Niger and the region has created fear among farmers and especially foreigners, discouraging them from working, and affecting the movement of goods and goods. That could have “negative impacts on the economy of the entire region,” according to a report by the Global Initiative.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hai-cong-dan-nga-bi-al-qaeda-bat-coc-o-niger-281271.html