Militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda have released Gerco van Deventer, a South African paramedic who had been held captive in Libya for over six years, according to a statement by the charity organization Gift of the Givers.
Gift of the Givers facilitated the “unconditional” release of Van Deventer, labeling him as the longest-held South African hostage. He was abducted in Libya in 2017, then sold to militant Islamists in Mali a year later before being released in Algeria.
A Malian security source confirmed the liberation of Van Deventer, stating that he was freed at the border between Mali and Algeria.
The chaos in Libya, which ensued after Nato-backed forces ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, has left many regions lawless. Meanwhile, Mali grapples with an Islamist insurgency and separatist movements in its northern territories.
Algeria’s security agencies have transported Van Deventer to a hospital for a check-up after his release. The charity expressed hope for his health and preparations to reunite him with his wife Shereen and son Asher after a tumultuous six years of waiting.
Van Deventer, an emergency paramedic employed by a security company, was captured on November 3, 2017, while en route to a power plant construction site located around 1,000km (600 miles) south of Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
Although three Turkish engineers abducted with him were freed approximately seven months later, Van Deventer remained in captivity until his recent release.
According to Gift of the Givers, efforts to secure Van Deventer’s freedom in the past involved negotiations for a ransom, initially set at $3 million but eventually reduced to $500,000. However, due to financial constraints from his family and employer, the militants eventually released him unconditionally on Saturday.
Groups like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have a history of utilizing kidnapping for ransom as a means of fundraising. The organization, rooted in Algeria’s 1990s civil war, operates across the Sahel region and within countries like Mali and Burkina Faso.
France intervened in Mali against AQIM and its associates in 2013 but withdrew its forces last year following a coup in the country. Presently, Mali’s military junta has reportedly contracted Russia’s Wagner group, known for its mercenary operations, to combat the militants.