Kidnapping for ransom in Algeria is not a new phenomenon. During the height of the Islamic insurgency, Algeria suffered a wave of such kidnappings. The Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), an outgrowth of the brutal Groupe Islamique Armée (GIA), was known to kidnap business owners and their family members, mostly from remote northern towns and villages, but also from the coastal city of Boumerdes.  

Although locals were the main targets of these abductions, the best-known such incident took place in March 2003 when the GSPC kidnapped a group of 33 European tourists in Ouargla. One of the hostages, a 45-year-old German national, died of exhaustion; the rest of the hostages were released in two groups in Mali after EUR 5 million (US$ 6.7million) in ransom was paid by the German government.  

The kidnapping, which was widely published in the international media and generated such a large ransom amount, planted the seed for future kidnappings of foreigners and even larger ransom demands.   

In 2004, reports emerged that French intelligence agents had foiled a plot by Islamic terrorists planning to attack the Dakar Rally and kidnap several of the drivers. The plot was confirmed by a spokesman for the French Ministry of Defense after a French magazine published an article claiming that a group of militants, believed to be the Free Salafist Group (GSL, a splinter group of the GSPC with links to al Qaeda) had planned to target the event. About 100 heavily-armed militants, led by a renowned local leader known as Abderrazak “El Para” (currently jailed in Algeria ), planned to attack drivers during the 7,000 mile race. The attack was to take place during the race’s desert stages in Mali. As a precaution, the organizers canceled stages 11 and 12 of the 18-day event, which would have seen competitors race across the Sahara Desert. Abderrazak, who according to Algerian authorities has links to al Qaeda, had led the group of militants that kidnapped the 33 Europeans the previous year. The 2008 Dakar rally was canceled due to similar fears and since 2009 the race has been held in the South American countries of Argentina and Chile.

On September 11, 2006, al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, officially announced the unification of the GSPC with the al Qaeda umbrella organization, under the name al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The AQIM continued with its predecessor’s terror campaign. However, due to the number of civilians killed in its attacks, the group has suffered a sharp decline in popularity and is now focusing its attacks on the security forces in Algeria and neighboring countries, and foreign companies. In order to protect foreigners working in the country, many of whom work in the oil and gas industries, the Algerian authorities have greatly increased the security around these worksites and many of the companies have hired Western security companies and upgraded their employees’ shuttle services to armored vehicles.

In response to the increased security, the AQIM has started cells throughout the western Sahel region including Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Tunisia, where it has ties with local criminal groups and rebellious tribal fighters who carry out kidnappings on the group’s behalf or simply sell their captives to the AQIM. 

While the kidnapping risk to foreign employees in the above countries remains high, abductions of locals have declined. In May 2008, the Algerian Interior Minister announced in a speech to parliament that 375 cases of kidnappings had taken place in the country in 2007. Out of this number 115 kidnapping cases were related to terrorism, while the other 260 incidents were criminally related, including two kidnappings related to human organ trafficking. A total sum of 6 billion dinars (about US$ 93 million) was demanded for ransom in the reported cases, of which a total of 1.2 billion dinars (about US$ 18.7 million) was paid.  

While the AQIM operates under the “Jihadi” agenda, the motivation behind the kidnapping of foreigners is purely financial and has become its main source of income to fund its activities. Instead of abducting hundreds of locals and ransoming their families or businesses for relatively small cash amounts – and constantly evading the ever-improving tactics of the Algerian security forces – the group is now taking fewer hostages for much higher ransoms and moving them around the lawless areas of the Sahel. A recent case – in which the Spanish government reportedly paid US$ 10 million for the safe release of three Spanish nationals whom the AQIM kidnapped in Mauritania in November 2009 – demonstrates the profitability of foreigners’ abductions over those of locals.     

The AQIM also uses the abductions to gain political concessions.  In the case of the three Spaniards, their release came just days after Mauritania extradited Omar Sid'Ahmed Ould Hamma, who according to some reports was the mastermind of their kidnapping, to his home country, Mali, from serving jail time in Mauritania. Mali also freed four militants from jail after the AQIM threatened to execute Pierre Camatte, a French aid worker who was kidnapped in Menaka, near the Niger border, if the four were not released. 

The decline in locals’ kidnappings is likely to continue as long as the AQIM is successful in extorting ransoms from those European governments who regard ransom as a “necessary evil “ or as a legitimate tool for resolving kidnappings and releasing their nationals. Though common, the practice of paying ransoms is a well-kept secret and sees little publication in the media. However, the number of foreigners working in high-threat countries is constantly waning, rendering expatriates working in such locations even more of a “prize” to terrorists and criminal groups.

Building a “fear factor” to provide credibility to their threats during ransom negotiations, the AQIM has also executed Western hostages. In May 2009, Edwin Dyer, a British national who was kidnapped with four other tourists on the Niger-Mali border after attending a nomadic cultural festival in late January, was beheaded. His execution was likely due to the refusal of the British government to pay a ransom for his release.  

In June 2009, a U.S. aid worker was shot dead in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, as he resisted when two armed men attempted to abduct him. The AQIM claimed responsibility for his murder, claiming he was spreading Christianity in the country.  

In July 2010, Michel Germaneau – a 78-year-old French aid worker – was executed by the group in retaliation for a botched rescue operation by French commandos and Mauritanian forces, which left six militants dead. Another retaliatory attack for the foiled rescue operation took place in late August when an AQIM suicide bomber attempted to drive a truck loaded with explosives into an army barracks in the town of Nema, about 680 miles/1,100 km east of the capital, Nouakchott. The driver was shot and killed after refusing to stop at the entrance, but the ensuing explosion damaged surrounding buildings.    

While foreigners, regardless of their nationality, are all at risk of kidnapping, several nationalities likely stand at a higher risk than others for harsh treatment from the AQIM. Topping the list are U.S. and U.K. nationals, due to their governments’ leading role in the international war on terrorism as well the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Historical sentiment toward France since its colonial days in North Africa and its recent veil laws has also put its nationals at a higher risk of kidnapping and harsh treatment. Scandinavian nationals are also at risk due to the 2005/2006 controversial prophet Mohammad cartoons.      

The latest AQIM kidnapping took place on September 16, 2010, when seven people (five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan) working for the French state-owned nuclear company, Areva, and Satom Construction (a subsidiary of Vinci, the French engineering conglomerate), were kidnapped from their guarded villa in the uranium mining town of Arlit, in Niger, by a group of about 30 armed men. 

Just days after the kidnapping, the AQIM claimed responsibility in an audio message broadcast on the al Jazeera news channel and several Islamist forum sites on the Internet. In the audio message, the unidentified speaker warned the French government against “doing anything stupid." This likely referred to the July 2010 botched rescue attempt or the September 19, 2010, clash between Mauritanian troops and militants in Raz-el-Ma, in the northern Mali desert, during which at least 12 militants and five soldiers were killed. The timing of the attack suggests that it was likely related to the kidnapping. The message added that the group would issue its demands to the French government "shortly."

A “proof of life,” in the form of a video clip, was released by the AQIM at the end of September showing the hostages being interviewed by their captors.   

Despite the threats, France sent commandos and a surveillance aircraft to Niger to enhance the search for the hostages and their kidnappers. France also reportedly asked the United States for its assistance, with the latter operating a listening post in southern Algeria monitoring regional radio and telephone traffic. The French Minister of Defense, however, revealed that France was attempting to get in touch with al Qaeda to discover any ransom demands.  

With the recent failed rescue operation and the execution that followed, it remains to be seen whether the French government will attempt yet another rescue operation or join the group of governments who have paid the demanded ransoms.   

Regardless of the many variations in kidnapping cases, there are some general guidelines one should employ prior to traveling to higher-risk regions:

·        Education and research: A traveler should know something of the culture they are entering, something of the overall crime rate, and something of the reliability of local authorities.

·        Take pains not to stand out: do not wear visible expensive jewelry, guard your cell phone use and as much as possible, adopt the local customs of dress to avoid being identified as a foreigner.

·        Use only trusted transportation services, such as those provided by a reputable hotel.

·        Keep a close eye on local news for any potential catalysts for change in the local security situation.

·       Maintain communication with your employer and/or local embassy, keeping them generally informed as to your schedule and whereabouts. For extended stays in high-risk areas, avoid utilizing the same routes if at all possible.

Most recent kidnappings of foreigners in North Africa:  

Tunisia, 22 February 2008: An Austrian couple was kidnapped while vacationing in Tunisia and then moved to Mali. They were freed in October after the Austrian government reportedly paid a ransom ranging between US$ 3 million and US$ 8.5 million. Other reports indicate that Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi paid the ransom.

Niger, 1 December 2008: Two Canadian diplomats were kidnapped in Niger. While initially a faction leader of the Tuareg rebel Restoration Forces Front (FFR) claimed responsibility for the abduction, the two were later handed to the AQIM. They were freed in Mali in late April 2009. Reports later suggested that EUR 5 million (about US$ 7 million) in ransom was paid for the hostages’ release.    

Mali, 22 January 2009: Four European tourists including two Swiss, one German and a Briton were kidnapped in the border area between Mali and Niger. The British national was executed in early June 2009. The three hostages were released in April and July 2009. Algerian papers claimed that a ransom ranging between EUR 3 million and EUR 5 million (between US$ 4 and 7 million) was paid to the kidnappers by the Malian government, which denied the reports.  

Mauritania, 18 June 2009: An American aid worker, who headed a school for computer science and languages, was shot dead in el-Kasr, a lower-class neighborhood in Nouakchott, after he resisted two men who attempted to abduct him. The AQIM claimed responsibility for the murder, alleging that he was spreading Christianity in the country. 

Mali, 26 November 2009: A French aid worker was kidnapped in Mali by unknown gunmen who handed him to the AQIM. He was freed at the end of February 2010 in a prisoner swap. The Malian government claimed that the four militants released in exchange for his freedom had served their sentences and were due to be freed.  France has denied paying a ransom for the aid worker.

Chad, 9 November 2009: A French agronomist was kidnapped while working in the village of Kawa near Chad's eastern border with Sudan. He was freed in al-Geneina, in Sudan's western Darfur region, in early February 2010. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) claimed no ransom was paid to secure the release, but declined to provide further details.

Mauritania, 29 November 2009: Three Spanish aid workers were kidnapped northwest of Nouakchott in Mauritania. AQIM claimed the abduction. One was freed in early March 2010 while the two others were freed in late August. A US$ 10 million ransom was reportedly paid by Spain for their release.

Mauritania, 18 December 2009: An Italian retiree and his Burkinabe-born wife were kidnapped by the AQIM in Mauritania. The couple was freed in mid-April 2010. The Italian Foreign Minister was quoted as saying that the release was "the fruit of intense diplomatic work that led authorities in Mali to take decisive actions to reach this solution." A ransom or prisoner exchange most likely took place.

Niger, 19 April 2010: A 78-year-old French aid worker and his Algerian driver were kidnapped in northern Niger. The driver was released shortly after. Following a botched rescue operation, the hostage was executed.

Chad, 6 June 2010: A British aid worker was kidnapped in Abeche, in eastern Chad, along with a Congolese colleague and a Chadian driver who were released by the kidnappers shortly after the abduction. The third victim was released by Chad’s security forces who intercepted the kidnappers about 40 km/ 25 miles from the Chad-Sudan border, in the Guereda region.

Chad, 14 September 2010: A Chinese national working for an engineering company in Chad was kidnapped in Am-Djarass in the northeast of the country and taken to Sudan. Though it was not clear who abducted the engineer, the kidnappers in the region are usually Arab tribesmen demanding ransoms and development for their areas from the government. He escaped his kidnappers on September 17, 2010.

Niger, 16 September 2010: AQIM militants abducted five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan working for two French companies from their secured villa in the uranium mining town Arlit in Niger.

Amir Lechner is founding partner of ThreatRate Risk Management LLC, a security and crisis management consulting firm. He served in field intelligence in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He moved to the United States in 1991, where he worked in the security department of the General Consulate of Israel in NYC and the security department of El Al Israeli Airlines.

Kidnapping for ransom in Algeria is not a new phenomenon. During the height of the Islamic insurgency, Algeria suffered a wave of such kidnappings. The Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), an outgrowth of the brutal Groupe Islamique Armée (GIA), was known to kidnap business owners and their family members, mostly from remote northern towns and villages, but also from the coastal city of Boumerdes.  

Although locals were the main targets of these abductions, the best-known such incident took place in March 2003 when the GSPC kidnapped a group of 33 European tourists in Ouargla. One of the hostages, a 45-year-old German national, died of exhaustion; the rest of the hostages were released in two groups in Mali after EUR 5 million (US$ 6.7million) in ransom was paid by the German government.  

The kidnapping, which was widely published in the international media and generated such a large ransom amount, planted the seed for future kidnappings of foreigners and even larger ransom demands.   

In 2004, reports emerged that French intelligence agents had foiled a plot by Islamic terrorists planning to attack the Dakar Rally and kidnap several of the drivers. The plot was confirmed by a spokesman for the French Ministry of Defense after a French magazine published an article claiming that a group of militants, believed to be the Free Salafist Group (GSL, a splinter group of the GSPC with links to al Qaeda) had planned to target the event. About 100 heavily-armed militants, led by a renowned local leader known as Abderrazak “El Para” (currently jailed in Algeria ), planned to attack drivers during the 7,000 mile race. The attack was to take place during the race’s desert stages in Mali. As a precaution, the organizers canceled stages 11 and 12 of the 18-day event, which would have seen competitors race across the Sahara Desert. Abderrazak, who according to Algerian authorities has links to al Qaeda, had led the group of militants that kidnapped the 33 Europeans the previous year. The 2008 Dakar rally was canceled due to similar fears and since 2009 the race has been held in the South American countries of Argentina and Chile.

On September 11, 2006, al Qaeda’s second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, officially announced the unification of the GSPC with the al Qaeda umbrella organization, under the name al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The AQIM continued with its predecessor’s terror campaign. However, due to the number of civilians killed in its attacks, the group has suffered a sharp decline in popularity and is now focusing its attacks on the security forces in Algeria and neighboring countries, and foreign companies. In order to protect foreigners working in the country, many of whom work in the oil and gas industries, the Algerian authorities have greatly increased the security around these worksites and many of the companies have hired Western security companies and upgraded their employees’ shuttle services to armored vehicles.

In response to the increased security, the AQIM has started cells throughout the western Sahel region including Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Tunisia, where it has ties with local criminal groups and rebellious tribal fighters who carry out kidnappings on the group’s behalf or simply sell their captives to the AQIM. 

While the kidnapping risk to foreign employees in the above countries remains high, abductions of locals have declined. In May 2008, the Algerian Interior Minister announced in a speech to parliament that 375 cases of kidnappings had taken place in the country in 2007. Out of this number 115 kidnapping cases were related to terrorism, while the other 260 incidents were criminally related, including two kidnappings related to human organ trafficking. A total sum of 6 billion dinars (about US$ 93 million) was demanded for ransom in the reported cases, of which a total of 1.2 billion dinars (about US$ 18.7 million) was paid.  

While the AQIM operates under the “Jihadi” agenda, the motivation behind the kidnapping of foreigners is purely financial and has become its main source of income to fund its activities. Instead of abducting hundreds of locals and ransoming their families or businesses for relatively small cash amounts – and constantly evading the ever-improving tactics of the Algerian security forces – the group is now taking fewer hostages for much higher ransoms and moving them around the lawless areas of the Sahel. A recent case – in which the Spanish government reportedly paid US$ 10 million for the safe release of three Spanish nationals whom the AQIM kidnapped in Mauritania in November 2009 – demonstrates the profitability of foreigners’ abductions over those of locals.     

The AQIM also uses the abductions to gain political concessions.  In the case of the three Spaniards, their release came just days after Mauritania extradited Omar Sid'Ahmed Ould Hamma, who according to some reports was the mastermind of their kidnapping, to his home country, Mali, from serving jail time in Mauritania. Mali also freed four militants from jail after the AQIM threatened to execute Pierre Camatte, a French aid worker who was kidnapped in Menaka, near the Niger border, if the four were not released. 

The decline in locals’ kidnappings is likely to continue as long as the AQIM is successful in extorting ransoms from those European governments who regard ransom as a “necessary evil “ or as a legitimate tool for resolving kidnappings and releasing their nationals. Though common, the practice of paying ransoms is a well-kept secret and sees little publication in the media. However, the number of foreigners working in high-threat countries is constantly waning, rendering expatriates working in such locations even more of a “prize” to terrorists and criminal groups.

Building a “fear factor” to provide credibility to their threats during ransom negotiations, the AQIM has also executed Western hostages. In May 2009, Edwin Dyer, a British national who was kidnapped with four other tourists on the Niger-Mali border after attending a nomadic cultural festival in late January, was beheaded. His execution was likely due to the refusal of the British government to pay a ransom for his release.  

In June 2009, a U.S. aid worker was shot dead in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, as he resisted when two armed men attempted to abduct him. The AQIM claimed responsibility for his murder, claiming he was spreading Christianity in the country.  

In July 2010, Michel Germaneau – a 78-year-old French aid worker – was executed by the group in retaliation for a botched rescue operation by French commandos and Mauritanian forces, which left six militants dead. Another retaliatory attack for the foiled rescue operation took place in late August when an AQIM suicide bomber attempted to drive a truck loaded with explosives into an army barracks in the town of Nema, about 680 miles/1,100 km east of the capital, Nouakchott. The driver was shot and killed after refusing to stop at the entrance, but the ensuing explosion damaged surrounding buildings.    

While foreigners, regardless of their nationality, are all at risk of kidnapping, several nationalities likely stand at a higher risk than others for harsh treatment from the AQIM. Topping the list are U.S. and U.K. nationals, due to their governments’ leading role in the international war on terrorism as well the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Historical sentiment toward France since its colonial days in North Africa and its recent veil laws has also put its nationals at a higher risk of kidnapping and harsh treatment. Scandinavian nationals are also at risk due to the 2005/2006 controversial prophet Mohammad cartoons.      

The latest AQIM kidnapping took place on September 16, 2010, when seven people (five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan) working for the French state-owned nuclear company, Areva, and Satom Construction (a subsidiary of Vinci, the French engineering conglomerate), were kidnapped from their guarded villa in the uranium mining town of Arlit, in Niger, by a group of about 30 armed men. 

Just days after the kidnapping, the AQIM claimed responsibility in an audio message broadcast on the al Jazeera news channel and several Islamist forum sites on the Internet. In the audio message, the unidentified speaker warned the French government against “doing anything stupid." This likely referred to the July 2010 botched rescue attempt or the September 19, 2010, clash between Mauritanian troops and militants in Raz-el-Ma, in the northern Mali desert, during which at least 12 militants and five soldiers were killed. The timing of the attack suggests that it was likely related to the kidnapping. The message added that the group would issue its demands to the French government "shortly."

A “proof of life,” in the form of a video clip, was released by the AQIM at the end of September showing the hostages being interviewed by their captors.   

Despite the threats, France sent commandos and a surveillance aircraft to Niger to enhance the search for the hostages and their kidnappers. France also reportedly asked the United States for its assistance, with the latter operating a listening post in southern Algeria monitoring regional radio and telephone traffic. The French Minister of Defense, however, revealed that France was attempting to get in touch with al Qaeda to discover any ransom demands.  

With the recent failed rescue operation and the execution that followed, it remains to be seen whether the French government will attempt yet another rescue operation or join the group of governments who have paid the demanded ransoms.   

Regardless of the many variations in kidnapping cases, there are some general guidelines one should employ prior to traveling to higher-risk regions:

·        Education and research: A traveler should know something of the culture they are entering, something of the overall crime rate, and something of the reliability of local authorities.

·        Take pains not to stand out: do not wear visible expensive jewelry, guard your cell phone use and as much as possible, adopt the local customs of dress to avoid being identified as a foreigner.

·        Use only trusted transportation services, such as those provided by a reputable hotel.

·        Keep a close eye on local news for any potential catalysts for change in the local security situation.

·       Maintain communication with your employer and/or local embassy, keeping them generally informed as to your schedule and whereabouts. For extended stays in high-risk areas, avoid utilizing the same routes if at all possible.

Most recent kidnappings of foreigners in North Africa:  

Tunisia, 22 February 2008: An Austrian couple was kidnapped while vacationing in Tunisia and then moved to Mali. They were freed in October after the Austrian government reportedly paid a ransom ranging between US$ 3 million and US$ 8.5 million. Other reports indicate that Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi paid the ransom.

Niger, 1 December 2008: Two Canadian diplomats were kidnapped in Niger. While initially a faction leader of the Tuareg rebel Restoration Forces Front (FFR) claimed responsibility for the abduction, the two were later handed to the AQIM. They were freed in Mali in late April 2009. Reports later suggested that EUR 5 million (about US$ 7 million) in ransom was paid for the hostages’ release.    

Mali, 22 January 2009: Four European tourists including two Swiss, one German and a Briton were kidnapped in the border area between Mali and Niger. The British national was executed in early June 2009. The three hostages were released in April and July 2009. Algerian papers claimed that a ransom ranging between EUR 3 million and EUR 5 million (between US$ 4 and 7 million) was paid to the kidnappers by the Malian government, which denied the reports.  

Mauritania, 18 June 2009: An American aid worker, who headed a school for computer science and languages, was shot dead in el-Kasr, a lower-class neighborhood in Nouakchott, after he resisted two men who attempted to abduct him. The AQIM claimed responsibility for the murder, alleging that he was spreading Christianity in the country. 

Mali, 26 November 2009: A French aid worker was kidnapped in Mali by unknown gunmen who handed him to the AQIM. He was freed at the end of February 2010 in a prisoner swap. The Malian government claimed that the four militants released in exchange for his freedom had served their sentences and were due to be freed.  France has denied paying a ransom for the aid worker.

Chad, 9 November 2009: A French agronomist was kidnapped while working in the village of Kawa near Chad's eastern border with Sudan. He was freed in al-Geneina, in Sudan's western Darfur region, in early February 2010. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) claimed no ransom was paid to secure the release, but declined to provide further details.

Mauritania, 29 November 2009: Three Spanish aid workers were kidnapped northwest of Nouakchott in Mauritania. AQIM claimed the abduction. One was freed in early March 2010 while the two others were freed in late August. A US$ 10 million ransom was reportedly paid by Spain for their release.

Mauritania, 18 December 2009: An Italian retiree and his Burkinabe-born wife were kidnapped by the AQIM in Mauritania. The couple was freed in mid-April 2010. The Italian Foreign Minister was quoted as saying that the release was "the fruit of intense diplomatic work that led authorities in Mali to take decisive actions to reach this solution." A ransom or prisoner exchange most likely took place.

Niger, 19 April 2010: A 78-year-old French aid worker and his Algerian driver were kidnapped in northern Niger. The driver was released shortly after. Following a botched rescue operation, the hostage was executed.

Chad, 6 June 2010: A British aid worker was kidnapped in Abeche, in eastern Chad, along with a Congolese colleague and a Chadian driver who were released by the kidnappers shortly after the abduction. The third victim was released by Chad’s security forces who intercepted the kidnappers about 40 km/ 25 miles from the Chad-Sudan border, in the Guereda region.

Chad, 14 September 2010: A Chinese national working for an engineering company in Chad was kidnapped in Am-Djarass in the northeast of the country and taken to Sudan. Though it was not clear who abducted the engineer, the kidnappers in the region are usually Arab tribesmen demanding ransoms and development for their areas from the government. He escaped his kidnappers on September 17, 2010.

Niger, 16 September 2010: AQIM militants abducted five French nationals, a Togolese and a Madagascan working for two French companies from their secured villa in the uranium mining town Arlit in Niger.

Amir Lechner is founding partner of ThreatRate Risk Management LLC, a security and crisis management consulting firm. He served in field intelligence in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He moved to the United States in 1991, where he worked in the security department of the General Consulate of Israel in NYC and the security department of El Al Israeli Airlines.