2024-08-04 17:09:15
The group “Jamaa Nusrat ul Islam wa al-Muslimeen” took two Russian citizens hostage in Niger, the organization reported, quoted by Reuters. It is connected to the jihadist group “Al-Qaeda”, specifies BTA.
From a video released by the group, it is understood that the two hostages work for a Russian company in southwestern Niger.
Speaking in Russian-accented English, the two said they were Russians and had been taken hostage about 60km west of the capital, Niamey. They don’t say when this happened. One introduced himself as Yuri and said he was a geologist, while the other said his name was Greg and that he had come to work in Niger a month ago, according to Reuters.
It is unclear when or where the video was shot. The video does not contain a ransom demand. The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
An anonymous security official in Niger told Reuters the two were abducted about a week ago while visiting gold mines.
The area where the two Russians were kidnapped is in the gold-rich Tillaberi region. There, Islamist fighters linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are actively engaged in insurgencies that have destabilized large swaths of Niger, as well as neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
After seizing power in a coup last year, Niger’s junta has expelled Western powers and established closer military and business ties with Russia.