This undated and unlocated handout picture released by the van Deventer family shows Gerco van Deventer. (Photo by HANDOUT / COURTESY OF THE FAMILY / AFP)
After almost six years in captivity, South African paramedic Gerco van Deventer, held hostage by Al Qaeda, was finally freed on Saturday.
Van Deventer was held hostage by Al-Qaeda following his kidnapping in Libya in 2017.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman announced the unconditional release of Van Deventer on Sunday.
“He was taken in Libya on Friday, 3 November 2017, sold to JNIM (Al-Qaeda) in Mali in 2018 and finally released unconditionally yesterday, after a period of six years and one month, making him the longest held South African hostage in captivity.”
After his abduction, Van Deventer was sold to an Al-Qaeda group and moved to Mali, where he was held captive before his release.
Sooliman said the initial request for Van Deventer was 3 million USD, and over a period of time, Gift of the Givers negotiated the amount down to 500k USD.
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He said the family could not afford the ransom, there was no benefactor, and the company that Van Deventer had just commenced work for could not assist.
“Gift of the Givers does not pay ransom but acts as a facilitator on behalf of distraught families wanting to bring home their loved one’s. There is no fee for our intervention.
“Having no ransom to pay for Gerco and no further leverage, negotiations stalled and eventually with Covid-19 went cold completely until January 2023 when one of our intermediary contacts in Mali requested us to restart the process,” Sooliman added.
Sooliman said in January this year, they tried again during Ramadan, asking for a complete and unconditional release.
“Late last night one of the very trusted intermediaries called us to say that Gerco has been released into Algeria. He could not be released through Mali, apparently because of the current new war between the Mali military and the Tuaregs.”
“South African State Security confirmed last night that Algerian State Security called to inform them that Gerco is freed, is with them and taken to hospital for a health review. We await the next step on his health and arrangements to bring him home to be reunited with wife Shereen and son Asher, it has been 6 agonising years of prayer, patience and hope. May Gerco return home soon, safely,” Sooliman said.
The NGO, at the request of the Van Deventer family, got involved in 2018, made contact with JNIM (Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin), with whom it dealt for the release of Stephen McGown, Johan Gustafsson, Christo Bothma.
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